Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kan: Jimetsu hen
by WOLFEDEN Studios
Summary: After Keiyodoshi. Shion seeks to overcome her obsessions and improve her lifestyle, but an old enemy from the past returns to Hinamizawa to threaten everything she holds dear. The cicadas cry louder as the Higurashi Kan saga continues. Rating may change.
1. Chapter 1: Homecoming

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni

Jimetsu-hen (The Self-Destruction Chapter)

I am Cursed

Everything dies around me.

I am Cursed

Pandemonium is all I see in my wake.

I am Cursed

I listened to the serpent's venomous words.

I am Cursed

Are you cursed just like me?

Chapter 1: Homecoming

There was a shadowy figure standing before me. He hovered over me. He had broad arms that could snap a neck in half if they grabbed it. He had these eyes, these terrible eyes filled with malice and rage. They filled with evil. He was looking past me. He was looking at another shadowy figure, a small one.

This figure was cowering in fear of the first one. It threw its small arms over itself in defense. The larger figure stomped its feet as it approached the smaller one. The larger one lifted up the small figure and began hitting it. It punched it, kicked it, spat on it, and threw it down to the ground. The large figure began stomping on it. Each stomp made the small figure's bones crack as loud as thunder. It was hurting my ears. I felt tears rolling down my cheeks. I knew this defenseless figure!

I bolted over to the large figure. I was holding something in my hand. It was dark, but I could just make out the curved blade. It was singing to me. It told me strike! It told me to kill him! I plunged it into the back of the large shadow. I kept plunging it into it. I was breathing hard, my body was on fire and my eyes were locked on this creature. I wouldn't stop…I wouldn't stop until it didn't move anymore! I wouldn't let it kill what I loved! I'd kill this monster first!

I sat up in my bed. I was staring down at the covers. Sweat was dripping off of my face and off of my arms. I wiped my arm against my forehead. This was the third nightmare I had in the past week. I thought it couldn't get worse after the first nightmare, but I was dead wrong. They progressively worsened and I had been waking up in a cold sweat. I barely got a good night's sleep because of it.

I crept into the shower to clean myself off. The water made me jump. It was so cold! I nearly slipped and fell because of my excitement! Who used up all of my hot water? It was probably that greasy slob next door! Why on earth did the apartments' water supply have to be connected? I'd murder the bastard who robbed me of my hot shower! Better yet, I'd kill the guy who thought that it was a good idea to connect water supply in the first place!

I threw on my white shirt, my necklace, my long skirt for a change, and put on my shoes. I put on some perfume as well. I had a scheme I wanted to pull today! The sweet scent of white plums would definitely do the trick!

I threw my door open and breathed in the morning air. The air was clear, not a cloud was in the sky, the wind gently kissed my cheek, and the sun was shining brightly. It was so pretty! Every Sunday, better yet, every day should be like this!

I found Kasai standing near the railing outside of my apartment. He was beating an old rug I had in my bedroom. He was wearing this cute pink apron! I wouldn't let him live this down!

"Mornin', Kasai!" I patted his shoulder.

"S-Shion-san!" He turned to face me.

I got a better look at his apron. It wasn't everyday you had the chance to a see a Sonozaki gangster wearing such a girly apron like that! "I love your new attire, Kasai! It matches your eyes! Ahaha!"

Kasai frowned. I caught a glimpse of his eyes through his black sunglasses. He looked so miserable!

"I'm going to head out for work, okay? I'll be back later!" I skipped down the hallway of the top floor of the apartment building.

"Wait a second!"

I faced him. "What's up?"

"Um…" He pointed to my apartment. He looked so embarrassed. "You haven't picked up your underwear like I asked…have you?"

"Oh, whoops! That completely slipped my mind! Sorry!"

Kasai's frown grew. "You know I don't feel comfortable picking up those things…"

"I promise I'll be a better girl next time! I really gotta go! Later, Kasai!" I smiled sweetly and waved. I heard him sigh loudly.

I descended down the stairs as quick as a flash. I jumped onto the sidewalk and twirled around. The air was so crisp! Everything about this morning felt so divine! I strolled down the street, with my hands folded behind my back. I was humming as I walked. I was so carefree!

I passed several people down the sidewalk. Most of them recognized me and gave me a friendly hello. It felt really great. Hinamizawa and Okinomiya were such great places to live; everybody knew who you were and they were always friendly to you! Although if you ticked them off, they wouldn't hesitate to run you out of town! One of my good friends, Maebara Keiichi, found that out the hard way! He was getting ganged up by these obnoxious bikers until the whole city and I stepped in to save him. He was lucky I was there!

After a little while of walking, I arrived at my workplace. It was the most popular restaurant in all of Okinomiya. Angel Mort attracted customers all over the city and even in Hinamizawa. They came for a variety of things. They came for the food, the sweet deserts, and to see all of the beautiful women that worked as waitresses there, but mostly for the waitresses! If it wasn't for bombshells like us, the place probably wouldn't get as much business as it did!

I came in through the front door. My uncle was right behind the cash register, smoking a cigarette.

"Morning, Uncle!"

"He-ey! Shion-chan!" He blew the smoke out of his mouth. "How's my favorite waitress doing today?"

"Pretty good! How about yourself?"

"Not bad! We're gonna be getting a lot of customers today! We're gonna have that all-you-can-eat event in an hour or so! Your sister asked me to give her some coupons for today, so I obliged. She and some of her friends will be here around lunchtime!"

Sis always knew how to work our uncles. It's the charm of the Sonozaki daughters! I couldn't wait to put my own special scheme into action when she and everybody else got here!

"Alright!"

"Also, just a heads up, we're probably gonna get some of those otaku nerds again! Just stay on your toes and keep your head up!"

"Ahaha!" I remembered those nerds very well. I was too foolish back then. I wasn't about to let them take advantage of my newcomer status anymore! "I'll be fine, Uncle! I have a strong boy who will take care of me!"

My uncle looked at me funny. "Oh? Is my little Shion growing up? She's got herself a boyfriend and everything! Haha!"

I went into the dressing room after speaking with my uncle. I changed into the restaurant's uniform. I didn't really mind wearing this outfit anymore. I was extremely timid when I first began working here a month ago, since it was so revealing, but I got used to it. Nobody really bothered me at all when I was working. They'd watch for a little while, but they would never do anything rude, except for the otakus. They were the worst. They would pull all sorts of pranks to make you take care of them. If they tried to do anything funny, I wouldn't let them get away with it!

Last time they came, they were so incredibly rude to me and to my coworkers. I was too afraid to fight back, but Kei-chan, Rena, Satoko, and Rika fought for me! This time, however, I would do everything myself! I wasn't going to be taken advantage of again!

The other girls appeared a few minutes to a half hour later. Customers began to pile in the second we opened the restaurant for business! We served each person very nicely and quickly. After two customers left, six more would take their places. And after those six left, twelve more would come! I was used to this kind of rush, but this was insane!

I was in the kitchen, picking up a few orders, when I saw my sister enter. She had Kei-chan with her. That was so like her! She lured this boy with promises of cakes and cream puffs to find a way into his heart! Sis always beat around the bush with him. She never got around to making her point when it came to something like this. She was deaf and dumb on the subject of romance. She always teased him and made fun of him when her little club gathered together, but she never had the guts to tell him the truth.

No matter how many times she teased him, Kei-chan never picked up on anything. He was so clueless. It wasn't his entire fault though. No matter how many times she wanted to tell him, Sis always chickened out. That's why I took it upon myself to coerce her into confessing her feelings. For the longest time, I had been flirting with Kei-chan, right in Sis' face. She would get so mad at me that I figured she would kill me at some point if I kept this up!

I felt a little bit guilty though. Kei-chan spent most of his time with me and Satoko. Satoko was like my little sister. Satoshi-kun left her in my care and I promised that I would always look out for her. Kei-chan promised her he would look out for her too. We all became so close in such short time. Maybe this would ignite something in Mion. She really had to get these feelings off of her chest. And who better to make her do that than me? It wasn't healthy to bottle up your feelings!

After a while, Rena, Rika, and Satoko entered the restaurant. I received their orders and swiftly had them prepared. I carried them out to everyone.

"Here we go guys!" I placed the cakes, creampuffs, and other sweet delicacies before them. They didn't even notice me. Their eyes were glued to their food. I coughed a little. "Are you going to stare at them or are you gonna eat them?"

"Sh-Shion!" Mion looked at me flabbergasted. Her eyes were so big; she was dismayed to see me here. She even raised her voice to me. "What're you doing here?"

"I work here, Sis! Don't tell me you forgot!" I winked at her.

"Nee-nee!" Satoko rose from her seat and hugged me tightly. I bent over and squeezed her as hard as I could. I sincerely loved this girl. I hated her once because I thought she put so much strain on Satoshi-kun, but I quickly grew to love her. She was a great girl.

"How's everybody doing?"

"We were fine until you showed up!" Sis yelled at me again.

"Oh, don't be that way, Sis!" I reached over the table and patted her hand gently. Though I spoke so sweetly, Mion knew I was messing with her. I could practically see the steam coming out of her ears! "I just wanted to say hello and see how my big sister was doing today!"

"Shut up! J-Just get out of here!"

I laughed. I then turned my eyes from her to Kei-chan. Target sighted! This should make her really mad, I thought. My friendly look morphed into a seductive gaze. I saw his body tremble. Typical!

I strolled provocatively behind him. I climbed up on the seat of the booth behind where he was sitting. I draped my arms over the head of the booth and wrapped them around his neck. The silk of my sleeves brushed against his skin. Each move I performed made him shake even more. It was so amusing to see!

I reached my hands down and my fingers stroked his collar bone. I gently pulled him into my chest. I nestled the back of his head against me. The sensation of his head connecting with my soft skin made his face turn bright red. He seemed to be intoxicated by my perfume as well. He looked so happy! I thought he might die!

"How's my Kei-chan doing today…?" I purred in his ear.

"Kei-chan's fine!" His skin was dancing to my touch. Had he never been touched like this before?

"Mii~!" Rika said, clapping her hands together. "Pachi-pachi! Keiichi's drool is dribble drabbling again!"

"D-Don't you touch him! Leave him alone!" Mion picked up a knife on the table.

"Ahaha! Or what? Don't you see my lover is happy?" I leaned my head over his shoulder. I blew gently into his ear. "Does it feel good…?"

Mion growled loudly and threw her knife at my head. I dashed from the booth I was in just before the knife connected to the headrest. I twirled until I came to the side of their table. I was laughing loudly.

"Hey! You can hurt somebody if you're not careful, Sis!"

"Just leave!" Mion picked up another knife.

"Okay, okay! I'm going! Have a good lunch, you guys!" I waved to them and danced toward the kitchen. If that didn't get Sis angry enough to confess to Kei-chan, then I didn't know what would work!

The rest of the day carried on like normal. Mion and the others finished their food and they went off for a club activity. I would have loved to play with them, but I didn't think Mion would allow it! I already pushed her buttons enough for today! She needed a break!

Before I could get back to work, Satoko tugged at my uniform.

"You're still here, Satoko? Doesn't Sis have new game she wants to play with everyone?"

"Yeah, but I want to take you along!"

"Ahaha! That's very sweet, but I think my sis would go crazy if I showed my face to her so soon after what I did to Kei-chan!"

"Oh, come on! Please?"

I was considering it, but I decided against it in the end. Mion looked livid. I would let her take a breather before I talked to her again.

"I'm sorry, Satoko! I have work to do and I have some important errands to run later! I'll come and see you after I'm through, okay?" I smiled sweetly at her.

She looked disappointed.

I grabbed her and hugged her tightly. "I promise I'll see you afterwards, okay? You can sleep over my house tonight if you want!"

"Better yet!" Satoko's face beamed. "How about you sleep over with Rika and me?"

"You wouldn't mind? I don't want to make Rika uncomfortable!"

"She wouldn't mind!"

Rika appeared behind Satoko. "…I would like it if you came! I really would!"

Rika had this odd smile on her face. It was like she was enticing me to come over and spend the night with her and Satoko. She really wanted me to hang out with them that much? Come to think of it, I think I saw her look depressed when she was speaking to Mion. I think it was about the next club activity.

Rika wanted to play either baseball or a game involving water guns. Mion decided on something that was different from the two, which led Rika to have such a sad disposition. If I said no, she would probably be sad again. I couldn't say no to her and I really wanted to be with Satoko.

"If you're okay with it, then I guess I'll come!"

"Great! Rika and I will cook you a nice dinner! It'll be great!"

I smiled at Satoko brightly. Rika, however, kept smiling at me. She titled her head and closed her eyes.

"Nipa~!"

Satoko and Rika went off to play with Mion and the others. I was about to head back into the kitchen.

"Hey, waitress!" I heard a nasally voice calling from behind me.

I turned around. I saw a group of fat sweaty nerds sitting in a circular booth. One had glasses and some T-shirt depicted a character from some manga. I saw his index finger pointing down to his pants. There was a large glob of ice cream on his crotch. Don't tell me…

"I spilled ice cream all over my new pants! Can you wipe it off for me?"

"I got a better idea!" Another friend of his laughed. "She should lick it off!"

"Hey, that's a great idea! Yeah, get over here and lick it up!"

I narrowed my eyes. I saw my hands curl into fists. I would love to pummel this piece of refuse into a bloody pulp! My brain suddenly acquired an idea. My scowl twisted into a smile.

"Why, certainly!" I skipped over to him. "I'd be happy to take care of that for you!"

He looked at me like I was an alien, but he soon leaned back and relaxed. The fool.

I got on my knees in front of him.

His friends were giggling and he was laughing through his nose.

I pulled something from my uniform's pocket. I held it in my hands and flicked the switch. The blue light flashed before him. The crackling noise made him jump in his seat.

"Now…what did you want me to do again…?" I was slowly inching the stun gun forward to his crotch.

He suddenly sprung from his seat and burst out of the door when the stun gun's prongs were an inch from his pants. I pointed the stun gun at his other friends, as I smiled more and more evilly. They dashed out of Angel Mort before I could even flick the switch again.

I spun my weapon around in my hand and pocketed it. I was smiling triumphantly. The other customers were merely watching me, horrified at what I was about to do to those pigs. My coworkers were cheering me on; they wanted to see me electrocute them so much! I giggled and curtsied to everyone before I went back into the kitchen.

My uncle let me off a few hours early because I had worked so efficiently and quick. I wasn't supposed to be at Satoko's house until later, so I decided to kill some time before I went into Hinamizawa for my errand. I changed back into my original clothes and left the restaurant. I stretched and proceeded down the street. I wondered where I was going to go. It was three o'clock, so I had plenty of time on my hands. This was a challenge. Maybe I would go to Hinamizawa earlier than I planned. Kasai probably wanted the day to himself since I would be gone, so it seemed like the best place to.

Before I decided to go there, I wanted to go to the convenience store. Inside the store, I found some candies and some snacks, along with a few games. I was sure Satoko and Rika would like to play and have a nice dessert after supper! I gathered the items into a basket and continued perusing the store. There were quite a number of people there. Most of them were students who went to school here in the city. I think I heard that they were studying for tests or working on projects that were due during the week. It made me think of St. Lucia.

I cringed at the thought of that horrid school. My grandmother shoved me into that school where I basically had to fend for myself. I got in trouble most of the time, but I couldn't help it. I hated that place. It was one of the worst places I'd ever been to. I would never go back there again.

I heard something coming towards me. The floor clacked to a steady beat of footsteps. I thought it was just a random shopper walking past me. I was looking at the bottom of a shelf in the aisle I was in, when I saw a set of dress shoes standing next to me. I followed the shoes to a pair of black trousers, a black jacket, a red tie, and to the face of a handsome man with messy hair.

"Hi there!" He said very friendly.

"Huh…? Oh…hi…"

"Oh!" He looked away sheepishly. "I didn't disturb you, did I?"

"No, it's alright." I straightened my posture to get a better look of this man. His black suit caught me off guard. It was warm with a slight breeze outside, but this man wore a suit like that in July. "Doesn't it get hot in that thing?"

He wiped his forehead with a handkerchief he retrieved from inside his jacket. "Just a little! I wanted to make a good impression for my first visits here!"

"Who are you?"

The man pulled something else from his jacket pocket. It was a badge. "I'm Hanzaemon Takuma, Okinomiya Precinct, at your service!" He bowed to me.

"Hanzaemon?"

I didn't recognize the name at first, but I gave it a little thought. Mion had told me about someone by the name of Hanzaemon. After the incidents with Takano last year, Grandma beefed up security on the village and in Okinomiya. She had people in the Sonozaki family check the backgrounds of every outsider that set foot in her territory. She didn't want to repeat what almost happened last month. She'd be damned if another nutcase got in here. Mion, has the heiress to the family name, learned from our spies who this guy was. I vaguely remember what she said about him though.

"I don't think I know you very well," I slyly said to him. "Are you new in town or something?"

"Yeah! I'm a cop fresh from the streets of Tokyo! Haha! I was transferred here a couple of weeks ago." He pocketed his badge and handkerchief. "Pardon me for asking, but are you Sonozaki Shion-san by any chance?"

"I am." I raised my brow at him. "Why do you ask?"

He saw my look of inquiry and became very shy. "I-I-I didn't mean anything wrong by it! I-I just wanted to know, that's all! Sempai said for me to get acquainted with his friends here! You are one of his friends, correct?"

"Sempai? Who's your sempai?"

"Oh! Akasaka Mamoru! He's my senior officer! He's showing me the ropes here!"

"Akasaka-san!" I clapped my hands together. "He's a good man! You're very lucky to have him as a teacher!" I held out my hand to him. "Allow me to properly introduce myself! I'm Shion! Nice to meet you! Ahaha!"

Hanzaemon nodded and shook my hand.

"Sorry about scaring you before!

He looked so bashful! He wasn't a bad looking guy at all, but he was definitely a newbie to these parts! That gave me an idea. I curled my lips into a smile. I was staring at him. His body trembled a bit and I saw his eyes shift about.

"W-What is it?"

"So, you're new here, right?"

"I-I am."

"Do you know your way around here somewhat?"

"Not really, no." Hanzaemon scratched his head. He sounded nervous. I didn't think a guy in his late twenties would be so intimidated by me! "Akasaka Sempai has been showing me around a little bit to get myself fully prepared for the job, but I was never any good with directions! I haven't quite learned how to maneuver around here! Haha…"

My smile grew wider. "Then you don't really know much about the lore we have here in Hinamizawa?"

"I heard some of it from my fellow officers. They told me a little about the dam war that happened a couple years ago. Other than that, I really don't know much about the village."

My smile got as wide as it could be. I licked my lips. "Then you don't know that the village is cursed?"

Hanzaemon shook more now. "C-Cursed?"

"That's right," I purred. I took a step toward him. He backed up. My voice was monotone and my eyes were blank. "The very second you set foot that village, you became eligible for the curse. It was a village where demons once lived after all."

"What do you mean…by a curse…?"

I chuckled. "I'm talking about Oyashiro-sama."

I saw his eyebrow twitch.

"Do you know Oyashiro-sama?"

He took out his hanky again. "Not really…"

"He'll curse you." I pointed to him. My voice became cold and dark with each word I spoke. "You do anything he doesn't like, he'll curse you and you'll experience something worse than death…! He's always watching you. He's always by your bed when you're sleeping…he's always following you…he's always watching…!" My face was very close to his.

Hanzaemon was so frightened. He wiped at his head and shook where he stood

"Ahahaha!" I pulled my head back and held my stomach. "I got you! I got you!"

"Huh? What?"

"I'm kidding! I was only kidding! You should have seen your face! Ahahaha!"

Hanzaemon frowned at me. I think I made him mad!

"That's not funny…!"

"Come on! It was just a joke! My, newcomers are really uptight, huh? Ahaha! Sorry about that, it's like a custom to scare newcomers! Forgive me if I made you angry!" I batted my eyes at him.

His face blushed a tad. "Sempai did warn me about that custom…"

"You should have listened to him! What kind of a cop gets scared by some superstition?"

Hanzaemon laughed wryly. "I guess a bad one like me…"

"Hey, I said I was sorry!"

He sheathed his hanky and shuffled his feet around. Now I felt bad! I scared the crap out of this poor newbie!

"I'm fine, really!" Hanzaemon said as his voice cracked. "It is really true though? That the village is cursed?"

"Some people believe that. I don't really pay too much attention to the stories though."

"I wonder if there's some truth to it though." He became calm. Good thing too, he looked like he was to pack his bags and run. "I mean, what if there really were such gods as this one? It would explain why all of those deaths occurred on the night of Watanagashi."

I was shocked. "You know about Watanagashi?"

"Sempai told me some the story after I heard about the dam war. I heard for four years in a row, a person was killed and another was demoned away on the night of Watanagashi. Was this Oyashiro-sama responsible for that? Is he a demon or something?"

"It's kind of ironic," I said, pushing my hair back behind my ear. "He's the guardian deity of Hinamizawa and he supposedly had someone killed and had another person kidnapped on that certain night. Most of those deaths happened because of the support of the Dam Project, I can understand that, or because somebody left the village. I still don't really get that though. But that is one of Oyashiro-sama's rules: you can't leave the village or you'll be cursed! Everybody follows that one down to the letter!"

Hanzaemon was sweating again. He didn't look afraid though. He seemed as though he was expecting me to say that. "Why doesn't he want someone to leave the village?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe he wants them to keep paying him tribute or something!" I joked.

"He sounds like a selfish god, wouldn't you say?" He said darkly.

"Huh? Um…yeah…I guess so."

"Cursin' somebody because they wouldn't pay you tribute? It's funny how he's the guardian and he does that to his own people. 'Kind of a bullshit excuse to go around killin' and stealin' people."

What was this guy's problem? How come he got so touchy when I brought up the village's religion?

He smiled at me and rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah! Sorry! I didn't mean to get so upset! I'm not really a religious person and I get kind of get too wrapped up in discussions about theologies!"

"It's okay. I'm not much for the religion either." I returned his smile.

He fished something out of his coat pocket. "Speaking of all this hocus pocus stuff, I should get better at learning the terrain of the village so I won't get lost again. Here's my card." He handed me his business card. I found his picture, name, and phone number on it. "If you ever need something, just call! I could really use another friend here!"

I nodded and giggled. "Of course! I can help you too if you need me!"

"Nice." He bowed to me. "It was a great honor meeting you! I hope to see you again, Sonozaki-san!"

"Call me Shion, Hanzaemon-san!" I laughed.

"Call me, Takuma, Shion!" He hit me with a very dazzling smile and spoke in a very charming voice. It almost knocked me off my feet!

Takuma left for the village and I finished my shopping. I exited the store with a few bags in my hand and strolled down the sidewalk to my apartment. Hanzaemon Takuma…not a bad guy at all! He was kind, very shy, and he reminded me of myself when I was St. Lucia. I wasn't much of a religious person either and I had to put up with all of their rules and regulations.

I was feeling bad for Takuma. He was new here and he didn't have that many friends, accept for Akasaka. If I ever saw him again, I would help him out and be his friend. Since he was friends with Akasaka as well, I bet Rika would fall in love with the guy! I saw the way she was around him when I happened to see them together. They were extremely close. I bet Takuma and Rika would get along very well!

I made it back to my apartment. I found my bike and placed the bags into the basket. I would've troubled Kasai to drive me, but I was feeling very generous today. I rode on to Hinamizawa.

I passed along the fields and woods as I rode down the road. The air brushed against me and the chirping of the cicadas made me smile. The village was very tranquil today. It better had been after all of the torture we went through to make it that way. My friends and I fought, bled, and nearly died to bring order back to the village. I hoped it would stay this way forever.

Along the way to Rika and Satoko's house, I found myself stopping at the Irie clinic. I bet the good doctor would be happy to see me pay him a visit! I also wanted to see a special patient he was taking care of for me.

I left my bike and bags outside. Unlike the citizens in the bigger cities in Japan, Hinamizawa villagers were very friendly; they would never steal from you, especially if you were from the Sonozaki family. If they did, they would regret it.

I walked through the front doors. There was nobody around. That was good news for me. I knocked on the door to the doctor's office. He quickly answered and his face lit up when he saw me.

"Shion-chan!" He smiled goofily. "What a pleasant surprise to see you!"

"Long time no see, Manager!" I winked at him. "How's work?"

"It's pretty good! Baseball's going pretty well too! Although…" his smile turned into a frown. "You haven't been showing up to the team's practices or games at all!"

"Oops! I guess they just slipped my mind!" I laughed to cover up my lie.

"When are you going to come to our games, Shion-chan? I got a lovely outfit for you to wear so you can cheer on my boys!"

"I'm assistant manager; I don't think that job entails cheerleading…"

"But it's such a lovely uniform!" He had tears in his eyes. "You would look so beautiful in it! You could really boost the team's morale!"

"When my schedule opens up, I'll be sure to let you know!"

"Oh…fine." Irie's smile returned. "So what brings you out here?"

"I'm gonna sleep over Satoko's house today."

I saw his eyes widened behind his glasses. "S-S-Sleep over?" His voice was squeaking. "You…with Rika-chan…and Satoko-chan…!" He hugged himself and squirmed where he stood. "I'm so jealous!"

"Don't tell me you still want to marry Satoko, Manager?"

"I do! I really do! She can wear that maid outfit and call me master all day long!" His face was like a cherry. "I can't wait until she grows up!"

I laughed at him. No way would Satoko get together with this guy!

"Hey, Manager," I said. "Any chance I can check on a patient today?"

He grew serious now. "Certainly! Follow me; I'll take you to him!"

Irie led me over to the lift in far back of the clinic. We rode it down to the bottom floor. We walked along a gray corridor until we came to a small room. Inside, there lay a boy with golden hair on a white bed. He had a mask on and there was a machine at his side that tracked his pulse. There was very large teddy bear in the back of the room.

The boy looked so peaceful. He had no worries, no pressures, nothing. He was sleeping very soundly. He had been sleeping like this for a long time now. I recently found out about it last month. I came here once a week since then to see how he progressed.

"How is he?" I asked quietly.

"He's responding very well." Irie replied with slight happiness in his voice. "Each day he's getting better. It really won't be long until I find a way to give him his life back. I've been working constantly to keep him stable. I've spent so many hours and so much money, even from my own pocket, to find a cure for him."

"I really can't thank you enough…" I muttered.

"You don't have to." He looked at me and smiled. "Satoshi-kun is a very good friend of mine as well. I would never wish to hurt him or abandon him, especially now. I owe it to him after all that's happened. He needs us now."

I placed both of my hands on the glass that separated me from Satoshi-kun.

"I still can't go in, can I?"

"I'm sorry. He's doing so well now…I don't want all of his progress to be for naught."

"I understand."

Irie patted my shoulder. "Take your time with him. I'll be right outside whenever you're ready." He left Satoshi-kun and me alone.

I drew circles on the glass with my finger. I kept watching him. I saw him breathe, the way his hair moved as the AC blew on him, and how at peace he was. I honestly was happy like this. I didn't mind being with him even though he never knew it.

I had dreams about him. I had dreams where I was him and we were happy together. He took me out and we sat in the playground in Okinomiya. I saw him smile at me. He would rub my head so gently. I would put my hands on top of his. I didn't want him to stop.

He then would suddenly turn into another person. He turned into Kei-chan. In that dream, I threw myself at him, thinking he was my Satoshi-kun, and kissed him. He stopped me and I discovered that what I saw was an illusion. It was because of that illusion that I learned an important lesson.

I loved Satoshi-kun. I loved Keiichi. I was in love with both of them. I loved Satoshi, but I loved Keiichi because he was so much like him. I didn't want to replace him, but my heart was slowly turning Satoshi into Keiichi. If I didn't stop myself and think hard, I would have forgotten all about the boy that lay asleep here.

I was thinking about how I teased Kei-chan. I did it to bug Mion, to force her into confessing her feelings to him, but every time I flirted with him, I allowed him to find a way into my heart. Though it was funny when I teased him, it was actually hurting me. I was hurting because I was taking advantage of him and the situation, all because he looked like Satoshi.

I didn't know what I wanted anymore. I wanted to be with Satoshi, but I loved Kei-chan just as much. I had a nightmare where I tried to kill him because I thought he was trying to take his place. My mind was a mess and my heart was so confused. I was obsessive, I was a hypocrite, and I came so close to betraying the one I truly loved.

I was afraid. What if Satoshi-kun came to me when I was in such discord? Who would I choose? Who would I love and who would I devote myself to? It would drive me mad. My obsession and my habits were to blame for this. I was to blame for the way I was.

An idea came to me. And with that idea, I made a vow. I would change myself. I would stop obsessing and take things as they go. I wanted to be pure in mind and soul for Satoshi. I wanted to be perfect for when he came back to me. All of my concerns and selfish behaviors would be gone. I would be pure for him. I vowed with every part of me…I would be pure.

I exited the clinic an hour later. Irie bid me farewell and he wished me a happy time with Rika and Satoko. I thanked him again for all that he did for Satoshi-kun. Irie was a great man. He sacrificed so much for that boy. I just hope that it wouldn't ruin him in the end.

I soon arrived at Satoko's house with all of the treats I brought. She welcomed me in with opened arms and Rika greeted me with a big smile. When I got there, I called Kasai about my plans. He acknowledged and told me to call him if I needed anything. Once I finished, Satoko and Rika had dinner waiting for me. We all took our seats and immediately dug in.

"So what's in the bags, Nee-nee?" Satoko asked, with her mouth full of rice.

"I brought some treats from the convenience store in Okinomiya for you two! I figured you would like a nice dessert!"

"Really? That's great!"

"So, what game did Sis have you guys play?"

"We played zombie tag at school!" Satoko's bright smile filled the room. "There were some kids who were playing there so we had them join in too! Keiichi-san was the first to die! Oh ho ho ho ho! I sprung a trap on him so good that he got to play the punishment game! He didn't even get a single person, even with his tricks!"

Rika laughed. "Keiichi got to wear the girls' swimsuit and had to buy certain things from 7th Mart!"

"What kind of things?" My mouth curled into a grin. "Like special lady things?"

"Yep!" Rika giggled again. "He has to give them to Chie-sensei tomorrow at school!"

Chie would murder him! I knew Sis was very devious and evil, but I didn't think she would go that far, especially to Kei-chan!

"Yeah! And he has to talk bad about curry as he gives them to her! Oh ho ho ho ho!" Satoko squealed at the thought of that.

"Poor Kei-chan!"

"Don't go easy on him! He knows how serious the club is! If he put his heart into it, he could have beaten us!"

"…Keiichi was very lazy today." Rika's smile diminished. "Mii was very disappointed with him. I think that's why she made the punishment so mean."

"How was Sis after she left Angel Mort? Was she feeling better at all?" I was very curious about that.

"…She got better." Rika's words were said rather lowly. "I think she's still sore about it though."

"Well, I'll see her tomorrow and I'll apologize! I think it's about time I stop making her so mad, huh? Ahaha!"

Rika's smile came back. It was strange. It was full of happiness, of course, but it also appeared to be filled with…hope. She looked as though she trusted me, as if believing I would make everything better.

After supper, I revealed the special candy and games I brought for them. They thanked me plenty and we stayed up all night playing together. We told stories, laughed, played a few pranks, and just talked about nothing. I haven't had that much fun in forever!

Part B

The next morning, I took Rika and Satoko to school. I rode alongside them on my bike and we just laughed all the way over there. When we arrived there, I disembarked and led them into the classroom. We found Kei-chan, Rena, and Mion waiting for them. Needless to say, Sis gave me the cold shoulder.

"Shii-chan! It's great to see you!" Rena smiled brightly.

"I didn't expect to see you here! It's a lovely surprise!" Kei-chan smiled too, very charmingly by the way. I tried hard not to think about what it reminded me of. I didn't want to fall victim to my desires like in my dream.

"Hmph, hello." Mion didn't look at me.

"What's wrong, Sis? Is something all in a bunch?"

"In a bunch…? Hauuuuu…!" Rena hid her face in her hands.

"W-What did you say?" Her face flushed.

"You really should take care of that! Ahaha!"

She growled at me. "Just get out of here already!"

"Fine." I turned to Satoko and gave her a hug. I even gave Rika one as well. She gave me a happy "nipa~." "But before I go, Sis, can I talk to you in private?"

"Huh? Why do you want to talk to me?"

"C'mon! It's important!" I took her arm and ran outside with her.

I took Mion behind the school. She had plenty of time before class started. I wanted to get everything out in the open before she went away. I had to tell her.

"So why did you drag me out here, Shion?" Mion looked at me suspiciously.

"I just wanted to apologize."

"Apologize, for what?" She was very surprised by that statement.

"I wanted to say that I'm sorry for everything." I bowed my head to her.

Sis crossed her arms and listened to me. She seemed interested.

"I know you really like Kei-chan…and I know I've been taking up most of his time lately. Satoko and I have been around him so much. You don't get to have time with him. I mean, if he's not with me or Satoko, he's treasure hunting with Rena, right? You really don't get to talk with him outside of school, unless when it's during your club activities."

Mion looked to the side. She knew what I said was true. She looked very sad.

"I feel so guilty! I'm sorry I've hurt you!" I bowed again.

"You're really sorry?"

"Of course I am!"

Mion leaned against the wall of the school. She still wasn't looking at me yet.

"You see, the only reason why I flirted with Kei-chan so much is because I wanted you to do something about it! I was trying to force you into confessing your feelings to him! I wanted you to fight me off and tell him right then and there! I want him to know that you love him!"

Mion glanced at me. "That's the real reason why you teased him?"

"Yes. I love Satoshi-kun, you know that! I just wanted to make you so jealous that you would tell him how you feel. I guess I did a lousy job, huh? My plan did the opposite of what I wanted." My voice was filled with regret and sadness for what I did. I think Mion noticed that. She could sense my true feelings.

Sis sighed. "I…I just can't tell him now…"

"Why not?"

"I just…can't…"

"Is it because of what happened with Satoko?"

Mion squeezed her arm hard.

A week ago, Mion and Satoko got into a fight. Satoko figured out that Mion liked Kei-chan. Satoko said she would tell Kei-chan as a joke, but Mion took it seriously. She thought Satoko was going to do it for real. Mion got so upset that she yelled at Satoko whenever Kei-chan wasn't around. I tried to make peace between them, but Mion saw it as me taking sides with her enemy, and not taking sides with my own sister. Rena had them make, up using her own special ways of making them cooperate with her. Even though they made up, Mion was still very down. She hid it, but I knew how she really felt.

"Mion," I said, placing my hand on her arm. "Satoko was only kidding, you know that. She wouldn't take your chance away from you!"

"That's not what's been bothering me!" Mion faced me. She was trying to hold back some tears. "Kei-chan and I are such good friends…I'm happy with my relationship now…but…I want more! But I'm afraid! What if it doesn't work out? What if he doesn't accept me or if there's someone else he likes? I wanted to be the one to tell him so I could deal with it either way…I thought Satoko was going to make everything more complicated…"

I rubbed her arm gently. "You have to tell him! You're never gonna know unless you try!"

She wiped her eyes.

"Mion, come on. Tell him! He'll be happy! I know he sees you as his best friend in Hinamizawa! You're the closest friend he has! He cares so much about you!"

"A-Are you sure…? How do you know?"

I winked at her. "Believe me, I know! I can see it when he looks at you and when he talks about you!"

Sis shook her head at me. "I don't know if I can…what if…Satoko already told him? What if she lied to me and told him anyway? What'll I do then?"

I lightly shook her. I spoke sternly, yet reassuringly.

"This isn't the Mion I know! My sister wouldn't act so shy like this! When my sister sees something she wants, she goes for it! She doesn't sit and wait! Mion! Snap out of it and be yourself! He gave you that doll before because he saw you as a real girl! I bet you if he got a teddy bear he would give it to you without a second thought! And Satoko gave you her word that she would keep quiet about it! Let go of that anger you have! Satoko's one of your best friends! She promised that she would let you tell him! Let that time be now!"

Mion looked at me again.

"Stop being so damn bashful and tell him already!"

She wiped at her eyes again. "Maybe," she said softly. "Maybe I'll invite him over soon. I'll make him tea and we can go on a walk." I saw a shade of red across her nose. "I can tell him then!"

"Let that be soon, okay, Sis? I've been waiting so long for you to tell Kei-chan! I'm getting really impatient!" I smiled warmly at her. I held her shoulders and pulled her to me.

We hugged each other hard. I heard Mion laughed a little.

"Thanks…Shion…"

"You forgive me?"

"…Of course I do…you're my twin sister! And…and I forgive Satoko as well…she's my friend!"

We held each other's hands and looked at each other for a while.

"Sis?" I said. "Do you still want to be twins in our next life?"

Mion nodded strongly. "I do!"

We hugged one more time before I let her go.

I was by the window before I left the school. Mion looked legitimately happy. She was laughing harder than usual, she teased Kei-chan a little more than usual, and I could see her hogging him all to herself. I was happy for her. I convinced Mion to truly forgive Satoko and to trust her. I convinced her to finally do something about her feelings. I felt so relieved!

I saw Rika looking out the window. She noticed me. She looked to Mion's joyful mood and then back to me. I saw the biggest smile on her little face. Something tells me she knew what I did and that she was relieved as well.

A huge burden was finally off of my shoulders. I could finally take it easy. Mion would confess to Kei-chan and the feud between her and Satoko was finally over. Mion was finally herself again! I got back on my bike and rode to Okinomiya. It was still early; I could make it to work on time!

I came to Angel Mort in no time. I said hello to my uncle and to my coworkers who already beat me there. I changed and quickly got to work. I was so happy! I winked at my customers and literally danced through the restaurant! It was surreal feeling. I loved it!

"Let me show you to your seat, sir!"

Another customer just entered. I got a fresh notepad from the kitchen and waltz over to my customer's table. I didn't want to make him wait! I was on a roll here!

"Welcome to Angel Mort, sir! What can I get for you today?" I was beaming as my eyes were closed.

"Yeah. I'll have the big chocolate cake and some of those special rolls I've been hearin' about." The voice sounded very impatient. It wasn't going to be bother me though!

"Very good choices, sir! I'll have them right out for yo-"

I opened my eyes to see my customer. He was a large muscular man with short blond hair. His face was very rough and it looked as if he was always angry. He was wearing a light red T-shirt with flowers across it, like a Hawaiian shirt. His eyes were narrow and they looked furious as well. There was a disgusting aura surrounding me. I wanted to throw up.

I knew this man. I dropped my notepad and pencil. My knees were shaking. My body was so cold. My brain completely shut off. I couldn't believe this! This wasn't true! This wasn't right! He was supposed to be in jail!

Why…why the hell was Houjou Teppei here…?


	2. Chapter 2: Taken

Chapter 2: Taken

Part A

"What's wrong? Somethin' on my face?"

Teppei was the customer that was sitting before me. Nothing about him had changed. His voice scared me, it always had. Despite those fears, I've always hated him. I hated him for what he did to my Satoko! I hated him for everything that he did to Satoshi-kun!

The last time I saw this man was when he was taken to prison. That's where he should have stayed. He should have rotted in his cell and died a miserable death, but he didn't. He was right in front me. What the hell were the cops doing? Were they mad to release this monster? He didn't spend more than a month in prison! How did he get out? Why would they do such a stupid thing?

My stomach turned into knots. I was staring right at him. These thoughts filled my head. They were so horrible and so evil. They couldn't have been my own. The demon that rested inside me was awakening once more.

I saw his fork and knife on the table near his apish hands. I saw myself taking them into my own hands and stabbing him with them. I saw myself thrusting the fork into his eye sockets and twisting it around until both of his eyes came out. I saw myself carving into his skull with the knife. I wanted to tear his heart out and crush it in my bear hands. I wanted to cut his hands off. I wanted to rip his ears off. I wanted to do so many things to this man. I wanted him to suffer…!

"Hey, lady!" He shouted angrily at me.

"Huh? Oh, sorry!" I waved my hand back and forth. "First day on the job and I've kinda been spacing out a lot today! Ahaha! I'll get your order for you right away!"

I ran into the kitchen. I ran from there into the changing rooms. I collapsed onto the floor. I was on my knees and my hands were gripping the floor. My fists pounded against it. I was gnashing my teeth and my eyes shifted all around. I wasn't myself. It was coming back! It was trying to take me over again!

I sat on the bench next to the storage lockers and breathed deeply. I slapped my face a few times and continued to breathe. I had to stay calm! I had to stay calm! I couldn't let it win! I couldn't let it take control again!

I couldn't stay here anymore. I couldn't do this. I switched into my casual clothes and bolted out of the restaurant. My feet carried me for two blocks. They carried me all the way to my apartment building. I stood near the stairway and gripped the railing tightly.

Houjou Teppei was back. No matter how many times I said that, I couldn't believe it. How was I going to handle this problem? I couldn't do anything by myself, I thought. I stopped questioning why Teppei was out of prison, I just wanted to get him back in there…or to make him go away for good. But I couldn't kill him. I couldn't commit such a heinous act. I forced my darkest desires out of my mind. They wouldn't do me any good. They would undo all the progress I've made in bettering myself. I kept forcing those thoughts out of my head. I had to face this not as a demon, but as Sonozaki Shion.

First of all, I had to tell somebody. I would have to tell Kei-chan. He deserved to know. Mion should know too, maybe she could help me. And finally, I became acquaintances with the new cop, Takuma. I had his business card in my pocket. I could call him and see if he could help me as well, or maybe even Akasaka.

I began to strategize; I wouldn't get anywhere if I just rushed in. My most important objective was to protect Satoko. Now that Teppei was free, I was sure he would return to Hinamizawa and take Satoko back under his "care" at some point. Even if he did come back for her, there had to be some restriction on him set by the police, but I didn't doubt that the man would just take Satoko anyway.

I had to keep this a secret from Satoko. She would lose it if she knew Teppei would be coming back for her. She would be so frightened. I had to protect her, even if I had to lie to her. I would be doing this for her own good.

I should call Kei-chan. School was still in session though, but this news couldn't wait. I would have to go back to Hinamizawa and tell him, along with Mion, Rena, and Rika. We managed to get him arrested with the entire village supporting us; maybe we could do it again! I decided to stop wasting time! I let go of the railing and ran to my bike. I unchained it and rode to Hinamizawa.

It was around lunchtime when I came to the school. I had pedaled as fast as my legs would let me. I must have made a record by how fast I was riding. I fell off of my bike when I tried to get off and I hit the ground hard. I was extremely exhausted, but I had to move on! I picked myself back up and staggered to the main entrance to the school.

I continued to stagger until I reached the teacher's office. I flung the office door open and stood in the threshold. I caught Chie-sensei about to have her usual curry for lunch. I was panting heavily and I was sweating.

"Shion-san?" She was frightened to see me so disheveled. "What happened to you?"

"Never mind me! I have…have…tell…you…"

"Easy!" She rose from her chair and led me to her desk. She sat me down and I caught my breath. She offered me her barley tea, which I chugged down in a few seconds.

"Gyaah!" I swallowed hard and coughed a little because of how fast I drank.

"Now what's wrong?" Chie knelt down and had her hands on my knees.

"It's…Satoko…she's…she's in danger…!"

"But she's in class! What on earth are you talking about?"

"Houjou Teppei's back!" I finally spat it out.

Chie's eyes widened. She got on her feet and backed a few inches away from me. I saw her hands shivering. "Is…that for certain?"

"I saw him with my own eyes! He was at my workplace today! I saw him! I saw him! He's out of jail!"

"But that's impossible! He was hauled off not too long ago! How is he suddenly free?" She didn't mean to raise her voice at me. She was just as scared and angry as I was.

"I don't know! But I can guarantee that he'll probably come back to take her away!"

"I'm going to call the police right now!"

I got on my feet. Before she left her office to see the principal and to borrow his phone, I stopped her. I held her wrist.

"Sensei! I need to tell my friends! They have to know right away!"

"I can call one of them out of the classroom for now. I don't want Satoko-chan to know about this yet!"

My sentiments exactly.

"Can you call Keiichi for me? I'd like to speak with him first!"

Chie told me to wait outside of the school by the front. She said she would summon Kei-chan to speak with me. I peeked around the corner of the main hallway; I saw her open the door to the classroom. She spoke very calmly and sweetly, like she always did. Thank God she did that. She knew as well as I did that Satoko must not suspect anything. That's why she allowed one person to see me. If everybody, excluding Satoko, talked to me, she would get nosy. I wanted everybody to know, but this would have to do for now. I couldn't risk her finding her out!

Kei-chan came to the front. He found me by the side of the entry way. "Shion? You're the visitor Chie-sensei told me about? I thought you went to work!" He gave me a very charming smile. "I'm so flattered you ditched just for me! Hehe!"

"Kei-chan! I need to talk to-"

"Hey, why are you so sweaty? You're a mess!"

"Listen to-"

"You know, you should take a bre-"

"Stop goofing around and listen to me!" I grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall of the school.

He was shaking in my grip. His eyes were locked onto mine. He was scared of me.

"I have something important to tell you! It couldn't wait!"

"Wh-What is it?"

"It's Satoko's uncle! He's in Okinomiya!"

Kei-chan's fear only grew, but mixed with that fear, I could see a fire burning in his eyes. I could see the pyre of his rage kindling inside of him. His fear turned into his anger. I could feel that fury coming out of him. It wrapped around me and it only increased my own anger of the situation.

"He's…back? He's out of jail?"

"Yes! He was a customer in Angel Mort today!"

I let go of him. Kei-chan faced the wall.

"Kei-chan?"

"…Is that true? You're not lying to me?"

"What? Why would I lie to you?" I almost yelled at him.

He punched the wall so hard that I thought I heard the bones in his hand break. "That can't be! That just can't!"

"It's true! I saw him!"

"This can't be right…!" Kei-chan got on his knees and his hand slid down the wall. I could hear him crying. I saw the tears fall from his face and onto the ground. "Dammit! We beat him! We got him thrown in prison! We won! We saved Satoko! But why…why…?"

I knelt down behind him. I held his shoulders gently. I was rubbing them.

"I don't know what's happening either, but this is the truth! I had to tell you right away! We have to figure out what we're going to-"

"That bastard…! I'll kill him…I'll definitely kill him this time…!" He threw my hands off of him. He clenched his fists and his teeth grinded against each other. The sound made my bones shiver.

"Kei-chan…?"

"I'll bash his head in! I'll keep bashing until he doesn't move anymore! That's what I'll do! That's what I'll do!" His voice was breaking and it sounded incredibly dark. He wasn't anything like the boy I saw a few seconds ago!

"Kei-chan!" I shook him. "Calm down! This isn't helping!"

He rubbed his head and breathed deeply. His tears stopped flowing.

"You can't do anything in that state! Didn't you tell me that? Violence isn't going to solve this! You told me that once, Keiichi! You stopped me that time last month! I wanted to murder him but you stopped me! You stopped me from making that horrible mistake! Don't you remember?"

His breathing was returning to a normal pace.

"I understand how you feel, but this isn't going to help me at all! I had trouble, but I managed to calm myself down too!"

Kei-chan wasn't moving.

"You taught me how to do that! You saved me before! Remember?"

Kei-chan looked at me. He turned to fully face me. "Shion…" I didn't hear any emotion in his voice.

I cracked a small smile for him. "Please…let me save you now…" He needed to see me smile. I was fuming mad myself, but I had to be stable for him. I had to show him that I was alright. I had to encourage him to be as collected as I tried to be.

He hid his puffy eyes from me. He was trying to hold back some more tears. "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have gone off like that…"

"It's understandable! I did too!"

"No…I know better. I know I shouldn't say those awful things…or think of doing those things…but…that bastard just infuriates me so much! He's roaming free again after all our hard work!" He was shivering again. "How the hell could the cops let him out?"

"Kei-chan…" I hugged him tight. I rubbed his back and his neck. "I don't know why this is happening either…but it is…and we have to face it…"

"We shouldn't have to though! We won that fight!"

"And we'll win this one!"

Keiichi held me. His head was over my shoulder. "I just don't understand anything…"

"Shhh." I whispered. "It's okay…we'll make him go away again! Think hard! We have Akasaka on our side! He'll do anything for us! He and this new guy at the department, Hanzaemon, he'll help too! Chie will help us, Sis will help too; I bet we can get all of Hinamizawa to help like we did last time! Have some faith, alright? Can you do that for me?"

I felt him nod.

"Kei-chan?" I held his face and looked at him. "Can you do that for me?"

He averted his eyes.

"Hey, c'mon! Look at me!" I spoke softly. I was stroking his cheek very gently. "We'll get through this!"

He finally looked at me. The poor boy. He looked so ashen and defeated even though the battle hadn't begun yet.

"That's not right! Where's my Kei-chan? The real Kei-chan?"

Keiichi turned away for a moment, but then looked back at me. I saw him trying to smile at me. He tried to look confident for me, despite the tears in his eyes.

"There we go! Now that's the boy I know!" I winked at him as I wiped his tears from his eyes. I looked deep into him for a moment.

"W-What?"

"Nothing…it's just…" I smiled at him. "You've really grown up."

"I don't think so…I lost it and threatened to murder that man. The last time when we faced him, I knew better and stopped myself and you from carrying out that deed. This time, I'm back at square one again…I'm tearing up again…I feel so powerless!"

"That's not true!" I held his face with both of my hands. "You've grown! I can tell just by looking at you! You handle yourself much better than you did before! You're stronger than I could ever be! Stop lying to yourself! You know you're a much more mature and stronger person than when you first came to the village!

"You're crying because you care so much about your friends! You worry about them all of the time! That's nothing to be ashamed of! It shows how much of an adult you are! You love them with all of your heart! I'm…actually kinda jealous of you..."

He cocked his head. "You are…?"

I nodded. "Mmm-hmm. Your soul is clean. I saw by looking into your eyes. I wish I was like you…all grown up and strong. My soul is still stained with my fears and insecurities. I…still have a demon within me. You don't have such a thing! For that, I'm so envious of you!"

Kei-chan was smiling now. I felt his hand on my leg. Part of my leg was exposed from my long skirt. When he touched my bare skin, it made me jump a little. I was blushing. He gently ran his fingers across it. He wasn't crying anymore. He looked like his old self!

"Shion doesn't have a demon." He shook his head at me. "She's a kind, loving, beautiful woman. She loves her friends very much, just like I do! How is it that she's a demon when she loves us so much? Demons can't love!"

I was quiet. Part of me believed him. That sweet and understanding voice struck my heart. I was going to cry now. I fought back the tears though. Kei-chan…he thought I wasn't a…he called me loving...

"No way could you be a demon!" He petted my head slowly. "You've grown up as well! You're more mature than when we first met! I really believe that!"

I placed my hands on top of his. It felt so good…the sensation of his hand against my head. I missed that feeling. I loved it so much…I loved it…I didn't want it to stop…

He grinned at me. "You're absolutely right! I'm not going to sit here and cry over this anymore! We'll settle this! I won't let Satoko be hurt by that monster again! He's the real demon! I have to be strong for her! I'm going to fight for her with all of my might!"

"…Yeah…"

"Let's do this! Let's save Satoko one more time!" He held my hand.

I squeezed his hand firmly. I nodded fiercely. I wasn't going to cry anymore either!

"Yeah!"

"Now, what are we going to do about everyone else?" He asked. The fires of anger inside of him turned into determination. He converted his anger into this motivation. He was so full of energy and power. Nothing was going to stop him now

"Well…we musn't let Satoko know about any of this! I'm afraid that she'll lose it if she found out Teppei's back!"

"I think so too! But, Teppei's bound to come back to Hinamizawa at some point. Probably soon I think. He'll come for Satoko! She'll eventually find out then!"

"We should hide her!" I slammed my fist into my palm. "One of us has to take her home and hide her there until we can solve this! I won't risk her being discovered by him!"

Kei-chan thought for a moment. "Teppei knows that Satoko lived with Rika once, so he'd probably look there first. I don't think Rena could do anything because of her father. My parents are gone all week, so I could hide her there, but Mion's house is bigger. Oh yeah! She has that underground chamber Satoko could hide in if worst comes to worst! Her house all sorts of hiding places!"

Mion's house would be a perfect choice to hide. But I didn't think she could take care of Satoko all by herself, even with all her maids and housekeepers. Satoko would feel more comfortable and less suspicious if she had someone else around her at all times as well. What if…yeah, yeah that would work!

"Kei-chan! I know!" I held his shoulders again. "Have Sis take you and Satoko into her home!"

I saw his face blush. "A-Are you serious?"

"Yeah! Satoko needs somebody to be with her at all times just in case, and who better than you! You and Sis can look out for her together! Satoko will be so blinded by the fact that she can hang out with you every day! This way she won't suspect anything!"

He snapped back into focus. "I-I'll see what I can do! If that doesn't work, I can always take her home with me!"

We grabbed each other's hands and looked at one another right in the eye.

"Let's do it!"

Part B

I left the school after I spoke with Kei-chan. He said he would handle the rest. He said he would tell Rena, Mion, and Rika the news when school ended, when Satoko was out of earshot. This just might work! It had to! I wasn't going to let Satoko suffer again! I would do this for her and for Satoshi-kun! I would protect her with my life!

I rode my bike along one of the back roads of Hinamizawa. I needed to get some fresh air in my system to fully ease my troubles. Nobody would blame me for being on edge, but I had to stay cool. Kei-chan taught me to be collected, to not do anything brash. That boy really did grow up, whether he accepted it or not.

Normally, he would run in head first and never give anything any thought. He would make matters worse for himself and for everybody else. Now, he was strategizing and keeping his head leveled. I was impressed by him and I envied him. I wish I could have been fortunate like he was, to be born without a demon lurking inside. He was our key. Keiichi was the key to holding us together! He stopped me from killing Teppei last month, he helped us stop Takano, and he was always the guy we would rely on. I trusted him with my life. I knew he would come through in a pinch. No wonder why Sis and I fell for him.

I returned to Okinomiya. I was so tired from running around all day. I ascended the stairs to my apartment. I entered my home and fell face first onto my bed. I held onto my pillow. I pressed it into my body and snuggled against it. I closed my eyes for a little while.

Kasai wasn't here yet. He was probably off running errands for the family, or maybe he was enjoying himself. I really wanted him to be around. I really could have used him. I wanted someone to be with me right then and there, to keep my spirits up. I was strong when I faced Kei-chan, but my worries were coming back to me.

I wondered if Chie got a hold of the police. Just to gain some peace of mind, I decided to call them myself. I pulled out the business card Takuma gave me. I looked at the number and dialed it. I sat there on my bed, clutching my pillow. I must have sat there for five minutes; the tone seemed to last forever. I was getting more and more irritated by that sound.

_"Okinomiya Precinct?" _Somebody finally picked up.

"Um…may I please speak to Detective Hanzaemon Takuma? It's urgent!"

_"That would be me! Hehe!" _Takuma sounded very giddy. _"May I ask who's calling?"_

"It's Sonozaki Shion! We met in the store remember?"

"_Oh, Shion-chan! I'm so lucky to be hearing from you so soon! Hehehe! So what can I do for you today, Shion-chan? You said there was some urgent thing you wanted to talk about?"_

"Yes! Please listen closely…"

I told him the entire story. I told him about Teppei's history with Satoshi-kun and Satoko, along with the events of last month when he was arrested. I brought up the story how the whole village helped put him behind bars. I even went so far as to say all of Hinamizawa would be ready to stop Teppei again, even though the village had no idea of what was happening. Since Mion probably knew by now, she would tell Onibaba and the village leader. Even though Onibaba was away on business, Mion still had to check in with her every now and then. Either way, Hinamizawa would be ready for anything when the time came.

_"So," _Takuma said seriously. _"This guy abused those poor kids, huh? That sonuva bitch…"_

"He's an awful man! He gets pleasure from hurting them! He's just a bully! He went to prison, remember I said? Now he's out again! I don't understand how that's possible! We all saw him getting carried off to jail!"

I heard clicking and clacking coming from Takuma's end. He was on his computer.

_"Hmm…I'm looking at the prisoner records here_,"he said with a grunt. _"Houjou Teppei was pardoned and let go about a week ago!"_

I squeezed the phone tightly. "Th-That can't be right! How could he be let go? That makes no sense at all! Everybody knows how much of a scumbag he is!"

_"Apparently not the guy who released him! I'm looking at the release form right now! No way did this guy complete his time! He was to be locked up for at least five months, yet he was let out a month after his arrest with no restrictions or anything! It's a full pardon!"_

"That's bullshit!" I slammed my fist on my nightstand. "Who the hell authorized that?" Something emerged from the back of my brain. "What if somebody purposely got this guy out? What if he paid somebody to set him free?"

_"It's a possibility. Ugh! This is a load of garbage!" _Takuma sighed. He was getting angry. _"Now that he's free with no limitations, he can basically come and go as he pleases! I think you're right. Somebody's crooked here!"_

"What about Satoko? He can't see her! Everybody knows that he was abusive to her! Nobody is going to let him near her! Knowing that he's abusive, why would anybody in Hinamizawa or Okinomiya set him free? Who's sick enough to do that?"

Takuma was quiet.

"Takuma?"

_"…This is crazy, isn't? For all the stuff that guy did, he should die. But yet, he can't die because that's against the law. But…what if…"_

"What is it, Takuma?"

"_What if…he was demoned away…?"_

My eyes twitched. "What did you just say?"

_"That would solve everything wouldn't it? What if a demon appeared and took him away? What if he went away forever? Never to be seen again."_

"Wha…?"

His voice sounded very cold. Did he even know what he was saying?

_"People were demoned away years ago weren't they? I know, I researched it…so why? Why can they do that now…?"_

My stomach began to churn. My head started to hurt too.

_"He should be demoned away….he should be…that would make everything better…"_

His words were so hurtful. I could hear contempt in his ice cold voice. I could feel anguish behind those words. Demon…that's he was saying! I wished he'd stop saying that! It was killing me!

_"Why won't a demon take him away? Why won't a demon take him away? Why won't a-"_

I smacked the phone down on its cradle. I didn't want to hear another word. I felt so cold. My brain stopped functioning and my blood turned to ice. I could see my veins popping out of my skin. I felt them bulge. Were they trying to make the blood flow again? What was wrong with me?

_"Why won't a demon take him away?"_ something said behind me.

I sharply looked behind me. There was nothing.

I heard breathing and footsteps. Each breath was slow but very loud. Each footstep got louder with each passing moment. Something had found me. It was approaching me.

I faced the direction where I heard the footsteps. "Who's there?"

_"Have you truly forgotten me…Shion?"_

It materialized in front of me. It appeared humanoid. It wore long white robes with a hood that covered its head. It stood at least eight feet tall and it loomed over me. A black miasma emanated from it. It was so toxic. I was coughing and gasping for air.

_"You remember me, don't you?"_ It said calmly but darkly.

"…Demon…! That's all you are…!" My voice cracked in fear.

_"I am your strength. I am your greatest ally. Why are you afraid of me?"_

"I…I'm…I'm not afraid…!"

_"Liar."_

The miasma wrapped around my neck. It lifted me up to see the veiled face of the monster that stood over me. We were at eye level. Its face was covered by that hood, but I shut my eyes so I wouldn't have to see anything. I was gagging.

_"Why do you lie to your closest friend?"_

"You…You're no friend of mine…!"

_"I've helped you so many times. I've been with you a thousand times in a thousand lifetimes. You've always listened to my words and embraced me when you needed me. I know that you need me now more than ever."_

I clawed at the mist that choked me. I clawed and clawed but I couldn't break free.

_"Why won't you embrace me again? You know that you need me."_

"I don't need you for anything! I don't need you!"

_"You created me. All of your obsessions and hypocrisies and paranoia gave birth to me. We are pieces of a greater whole. Why do you try to cast me aside?"_

"No…no…!"

"_You've always used my strength. Use me again. Let me…let us kill that man. Let us 'demon' him away…!"_

I still had my eyes closed. I shivered and coughed hard. I felt its cold tongue stroke my cheek.

_"The police couldn't even stop him. They set him free. They're responsible for this. He can hurt the ones you love. That man is a cockroach, he never knows when to lie down and die. But I can make that happen. We can make that happen. Nobody has to know. Let us kill him…!"_

"I don't…I don't want to kill him…"

_"Why not? He tortured Satoko and Satoshi, didn't he? Come, little Shion…why are you protecting him?"_

"I'm not protecting him…it's not right…even a man like him…he shouldn't die…!"

I heard a small laugh come from it.

_"You grew a conscience? Where in the world did you acquire a silly little thing like that?"_

I wanted that man to die, I wanted him to die so much…but no human should kill another. I would be as bad as Teppei if I resorted to such violence. It wasn't my choice to make. Kei-chan wouldn't want me to think like that! I couldn't think like that! I had to be strong! I had to resist!

_"It __**is**__ your choice to make, Shion. One word and we can make him go away."_

"Get out of my head…!"

The figure pulled back its hood. Anybody would say its face was like a tengu mask, but this was its real face. Its basilisk eyes stared me down. The wicked smile was smeared across its lips, the smile I never wanted to remember.

_"Kill him…kill him…kill him…kill him…kill him…shed his blood…make him suffer…make him pay…"_

I shot my eyes open and looked at my demon. I gritted my teeth so hard and I screamed so loud.

"I abandoned you a long time ago! I told you to never come back to me! Leave me alone! Stop haunting me! Keiichi told me to be strong! That's what I'm going to do! I won't let you take me again! Leave me and don't come back!"

I felt something in my hand. I lifted it high into the air. I saw the curved black blade. I thrust it into my demon's eye. I repeatedly stabbed him, cursing as loud as I could. With the last strike, it fled back into the shadows from whence it came. I fell to the floor and took long breaths. It had sucked most of the life out of me.

I sat against my bed and examined the blade in my hands. It disintegrated into dust and the dust vanished into the air. It was over! I did it! I actually did it! I had beaten the demon! I forced it away!

I smiled hideously at my victory. I chuckled. I calmed myself down a few minutes later. My victory was very sweet, but it was very short lived. I had defeated the demon that plagued me, I would never see him again, but my other enemy still remained. I couldn't do anything now. I did my part for the day. It was Kei-chan and Mion's turn now.

My weary body crawled under the covers of my bed that night. Sis had called Kasai and he now knew. He rushed back to the apartment when his errands were done. He decided to spend the night to watch over me. He stayed in my guest room in case I needed him. I was so tired. I needed my rest. I wanted see Kei-chan and the others the next day, but I wouldn't do them any good if I didn't rest. I finally closed my eyes.

During the midpoint of my slumber, I found myself in a dark forest. There was no clear path for me. All that was before me was grass and trees. I felt as if I had abandoned my true path, the road back to my home. I felt that I was on a journey, trying to go somewhere, but I got caught up in this dark wood. It was raining down upon me hard. The rain pounded against my body. I was shivering. I didn't even have an umbrella.

My body felt so heavy. I wanted to fall to the ground and rest, but I couldn't let myself do that. I didn't know why. I fell on my knees several times, but I always picked myself back up. I looked ahead of me. There was an endless sea of trees. I was lost.

I knew I was venturing on through this forest, but I couldn't recall how I first entered the wood. I just knew I was on that journey and that I ended up here. I had to find a way out.

There was heavy panting coming from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and I saw him! I saw the monster from my dreams! That horrible black figure! It was running towards me! It was pulling its fist back! It was going to kill me!

I tried to run, but I kept stumbling over my own feet. The monster yanked me over to him. I scraped his face with my nails. He grunted. He threw his fist at me. I collapsed to the cold, wet ground. Blood shot from my lip and I had this awful bruise on my shoulder where he grabbed me. He climbed on top of me and kept on punching me.

He hit my stomach, my face, and my neck. I cried in agony and tried to shove him off of me, but he was too heavy. He was laughing at me! His hands grabbed my neck. He was crushing my windpipe! I was going to die!

"No…no…NOOO!"

My hand traveled behind my back to one of my skirt pockets. I took my stun gun. I set it to the highest voltage and stabbed him in his stomach. The monster shrieked and I kicked him so hard off of me. I rolled over on to my hands and knees. I glanced over at my enemy. He was struggling to get up. The voltage didn't kill him.

I looked near my hand. There was a strong and sturdy piece of timber that called out to me. I took it into my hand. I peered back at my enemy. No…not this time. I wasn't going to let you do anything to me!

My feet stumbled over to him. I stood above him. I rose up the timber in my hand. He looked up at me. He was afraid! He was afraid of me!

I swung it down on his leg. I heard it crack. I kept hitting that leg until I didn't hear any more bones breaking.

"What's wrong?" I shouted. "Can't laugh anymore?"

I hit his other leg. I kept swinging the timber down on him. Each time was stronger than the last.

"Serves you right!"

I hit his arm.

"Die!"

I smashed his shoulders.

"Die!"

I bashed his head.

"Die!"

I broke the timber in two. The end I held now had a sharp end to it. I climbed on top of the monster and viciously stabbed him multiple times in chest, his head, and his waist.

"Die…die…die…HURRY UP AND DIE!"

I didn't hear anymore grunts or cries. He wasn't twitching anymore. He was dead.

I threw my broken weapon aside and looked around me. There was a body of water next to me. It was red as blood and there was a small tree sticking out of it. Perfect, I said to myself. They can have you now!

I dragged the body of the monster to the edge of the forest, which overlooked the small body of water. I kicked the corpse down the small hill. He splashed into the water and floated toward the tree. After a few minutes, I saw black claws emerging from the water. They slashed, tore, and yanked the body down into the water with them. Their hunger and thirst would now be satisfied.

That beast finally left me. He was taken away by the demons under the water. I could hear gnawing and grinding of bones. They feasted upon the monster under the water, but I could hear everything perfectly. It was music to my ears.

I backed away from the edge of the forest. I backed into a tree. I looked at my body. It was covered in the black liquid that sprayed from the monster. It was on my lips, my shirt, my legs, and my hands. I licked my lips.

"…Delicious…"

I licked my fingers. I kept licking them until the black substance was gone.

"…So…delicious…ha…ha…ha…ha…ha…ha…ha…hahahaha….hahahahahahaha…nyahahahaha… NYAHAHAHAHA!" I threw my head up into the air as the rain beat down upon me. "I DID IT! I KILLED IT! IT'S ALL DONE! IT'S FINISHED!"

I screamed as loud as I could. I scratched at my head furiously. I was happy! I was so joyful! I was in sweet ecstasy! I didn't want this to end!

The morning sun shone down on my face. I cracked my eyes open. I sat up in my bed and wiped the corners of my eyes. I yawned loudly. What a nightmare, I said to myself.

I saw Kasai in the kitchen. He was wearing that pink apron again. I could smell the breakfast he was cooking for me. I left my bed and groggily made my way to the table. I yawned one more time.

"Shion-san," Kasai said with a smile, "just in time! I'm making you something special!"

I didn't hear him at first. I stretched my arms out. They ached for some reason, along with my shoulder. I think I slept on them the wrong way.

"You sleep the wrong way, Shion-san?"

"Very perceptive, Kasai!" I rubbed my muscles. "I think I did! My legs, my arms, and my stomach kind of hurt!"

"Hmm, that would make sense. Did you have a nightmare last night? I thought I heard you tossing and turning. I'm sorry you're not feeling well! I'll get you some painkillers when I go out today. We've run out of medicine so we have to stock up again."

"Good, I could really use some! Ahaha!"

I was thinking about how Satoko was. I hope Kei-chan was able to keep her at his house or at Mion's. Better than just sitting there and wondering, I would just call him up. It was an hour before school started. I'm sure Kei-chan was getting ready for the day. He could spare a few minutes just to talk!

While I waiting for my breakfast, I went to my phone. I dialed Kei-chan's home number. The dial tone kept ringing in my ear. He didn't pick up at all. He must be at Mion's house. I decided to call her next.

I dialed her number and waited. After a few seconds, I hear a click on the other end.

_"Sonozaki?"_

"Sis! How goes everything?"

_"Shion! I was just about to call you!"_ Mion snickered. _"I heard everything from Kei-chan yesterday…"_

It was terrible news about Teppei's return, but Mion sounded very cheerful. I wonder what that was about.

_"…and about yours and his plan. I had Kei-chan and Satoko move in with me!"_

"You did? Was it any problem at all?"

_"Nope! I'm in charge of the house while Baacha's gone, so nobody minds at all! The maids and cooks are very friendly to them! I think Satoko is extremely happy here! She's been smiling since last night!" _Mion laughed heartily.

"Did she ask any questions? You know, about the living arrangement?"

_"She was suspicious at first, but Rika worked some kind of magic over here! Rika wanted her to be with us! So she's been with Kei-chan and I ever since! This was a good idea you guys had; in case that scumbag comes to the village, we'll hide Satoko somewhere on the property and kick that oaf's ass right out! The village leader knows and he gathering some men of his to speak to the courts!_

"_Akasaka heard from a friend of his that Teppei's release was a sham! He's filing the paperwork with Kimiyoshi! It'll all be over soon! Teppei's gonna regret the day he tried to pull anything over Sonozaki Mion! Ahahaha!"_

Mion sounded so happy and victorious. It made me laugh too. I was happy that this plan was working out. Sis could be with Kei-chan while they protected Satoko from Teppei. I hoped Satoko wouldn't get too comfortable with this. As soon as Teppei wasn't a threat anymore, Satoko would have to go back to her normal life.

_"She doesn't even know a thing about him!"_

"Good! I'd like to keep it that way!" I sighed in relief. "Sis…thanks for doing this for me. I really owe you one!"

_"Think nothing of it! We're sisters, aren't we? Hehe! Anyway, the three of us are going to spend the day in the mountains!"_

"Wait, you're ditching school?"

_"Ahaha! Yep! Chie-sensei was worried about Satoko's presence at the school. Teppei knows where the school is and she was afraid he may come and pick her up when he comes to the village. I told her that Kei-chan and I would look after Satoko, so she exempted us from class! Rena and Rika are going to give us our missed work so we can study from home! This way, we can be up to date on our studies…buuuuut, I don't think I'll have time for homework since I have to keep a certain friend of mine safe. Hehehehe!"_

That didn't sound anything like the Chie I knew. She always wanted you in school, accept for dire circumstances. This was the direst, so I guess she responded in the most radical way. I'd have to thank her somehow for what she was doing for Satoko. I owed her as well.

"You're so lucky, Sis!" I laughed.

I heard Mion speaking to somebody on the other side of the call.

_"Hey, Shion! Satoko wants to say hello! I'm putting her on!"_

I heard the phone being swapped.

_"Nee-nee! This is awesome!" _Satoko yelled into the phone. _"Keiichi-san and Mion-san are going all out! I had a huge dinner last night and we stayed up all night playing some of Mion-san's imported games! Keiichi-san had to play a few punishment games though! Oh ho ho ho ho! You should have seen him! He had to wear the most girly outfit ever!"_

"I'm happy for you, Satoko!" I said joyfully. I was so relieved that she was alright. "But poor Kei-chan, ahaha!"

_"But something's been bugging me…how come I'm living with Mion-san? What are you up to?"_

"Oh, don't worry about that! Your Nee-nee is doing something special for you! Just hang out with Sis and Kei-chan until I'm done with my job, okay? Think you do that?"

_"I don't know…games, no school, and humiliating Keiichi-san all day long? I think I can put up with that! Oh ho ho ho ho!"_ I could imagine Satoko's big smile on the other end. This made things much easier, knowing she was alright. To hear her laugh and to think of her smile really made me feel at peace. _"I gotta go! We're going to go exploring any minute now! I'll call you later, okay? And finish that job or whatever soon! I can't wait to find out what you're doing! I can't wait for you to be with us too! We can humiliate Keiichi-san together!"_

"I'll get it done as soon as I can! You take care now…"

She hung up the phone. I placed mine back on the cradle and lounged in my chair at the table. I had such a huge goofy smile on my face. My troubles were over! Shame on me for worrying! Kei-chan and Sis had it all under control! If Teppei showed his face, Akasaka and Kimiyoshi would throw him right back into the pit he crawled out from! It was over before it could even begin!

I knew it was way too early, but I wanted to thank Chie, Rena, and Rika for all that they were doing. I wanted to go and see them!

"Kasai!" I stood up and raised my finger into the air. "We're going to Hinamizawa right now! There are a few people I want to talk to!"

"Right now?" he asked. I could hear his stomach growling. He had a whole gourmet breakfast waiting for us. He looked at me with a pitiful face. "Can we eat first though?"

After we ate, Kasai fired up the car and we drove off to Hinamizawa. I sat next to him and I kept humming a cheerful little tune. I stretched my arms out again. My whole body was so stiff from my slumber. My muscles still ached. Good thing there was a clinic in the village. I would have to talk to Irie about getting some painkillers for my sore muscles.

Not only did my arms and legs hurt, but my face, mainly my cheeks, hurt. I think I was smiling too hard when I heard Satoko's happy voice. I also thought my legs hurt from how hard I rode to Hinamizawa the last day. My pains didn't matter though. I was so thankful that Satoko had no idea about Teppei. I wouldn't know what she would do if she found out. I was afraid to imagine what would happen to her if the truth came out. She would go crazy and she may have hurt herself or someone else. If we could keep this quiet, and get rid of Teppei for good, then it would be as if nothing had ever happened! It would be like he never came back!

I had my closed for a little while. I was basking in an early victory. I felt Kasai suddenly stop the car. I opened my eyes to see what was going on. We were on the main road that led straight into the village, but there were a group of people that Kasai was looking at. Some of the people wore white shirts and others wore blue outfits. I think these were police officers.

"What's going on here?" Kasai asked.

"I have no idea!" I looked at where the officers were. They were near the forest. This was the forest that was right next to the Onigafuchi swamp. What the hell was happening?

An officer came up to the driver's side of our vehicle. "You people need to move along! This is an investigation! We can't have people blocking the road!"

"What's happening, officer?" Kasai questioned.

"We got a call late last night. Apparently there was a scuffle between two people. Somebody claimed to see these two people fighting. The caller said that one of the persons was beaten to death and then dumped in the Onigafuchi swamp. We haven't found the body yet."

What did he say? There was a fight during the night? Somebody was beaten to death? The body was dumped in the Onigafuchi swamp…but hadn't been recovered yet? What…in the world…? No…no that's not right…there was no way…!

My dream…where I killed the monster and threw him into a pool of water...did that…actually happen?


	3. Chapter 3: Murder

Chapter 3: Murder

Part A

We were driving away from the scene and pushed on to Hinamizawa. I was quiet for the rest of the trip. Kasai tried to instigate a conversation, but I ignored him. I was thinking about what that officer said.

Two people were fighting near the Onigafuchi Swamp. One was beaten to death and then dumped into the water, but the corpse hadn't been retrieved yet. I gave it a lot of thought. It couldn't have been me. There was just no way! I didn't do anything!

That dream I had, when I fought that monster in the forest, it felt so real. I felt all of that pain, the adrenaline rushing through my body, the thrill of slaying my enemy, and the rapture I tasted when I kicked him into the blood-red water, where the demons dragged it under. My body ached when I woke up this morning and it was still aching. No…that couldn't be! Was I hurting because **I** was one of those people that fought last night?

I wasn't! I couldn't be! Kasai even said I was tossing and turning in my sleep! There was no way I could sleep walk all that way near Hinamizawa and kill someone. Another concern filled my head: who was the person that died in reality? I killed a monster in my dream near the swamp, and this person was killed near the swamp as well, so who was this person? Half of me wanted the police to find that body while the other half of me wanted that corpse to remain hidden. I didn't do anything! I didn't kill anybody!

Kasai stopped at the Irie Clinic. We needed some painkillers for my apartment's medicine cabinet because we ran out. Kasai volunteered to grab the medicine, but I told him that I would retrieve them. He waited in the car for me while I was away.

I was the only person in the clinic besides the head nurse at the front desk and the doctor who was in his office. I said I was there to see Irie and she went to collect him right away. Irie exited his office and found me. That goofy smile was plastered on his face.

"Shion-chan! So go to see you again!"

"H-Hey…Manager."

"Huh? Is something wrong? Your skin doesn't have its usual radiance!" He chuckled.

"Well…" I looked down at my feet. I was twiddling my thumbs together. "Manager…can you…give me an examination? I think I might be sick."

"Sick? Uh, all right. Come into my office. I'll give you a quick look-see."

Irie examined me and ran all sorts of tests. He checked my heartbeat, my muscles (which I flinched and squealed a little in pain when he check them), my eyes, and looked at my tongue. He checked my blood pressure, my ears, my reflexes, and even looked at my skin. He was extremely thorough, sometimes a little more thorough than he really should be.

"Hmm," he thought to himself. "I don't see anything seriously wrong with you. Your muscles do seem to be a little sore. What were you doing last night? Exercising a little too much? Haha! Or were you beating off boys with a stick?"

I didn't laugh at all. My thoughts drifted back to my awful dream.

He looked me right in the eye. "Poor Shion-chan! She's so beautiful that she attracts all sorts of boys, doesn't she?"

"So, are you going to give me something for this pain or what?" I said quickly. I didn't mean to sound irritated, but I just really wanted to get out of here to see my friends.

Irie was taken aback by my sudden attitude. He adjusted his glasses and laughed nervously. He motioned to his nurse who went into one of the rooms in the back. She came back with a pill bottle in little brown bag. Irie thanked her and handed the bag to me.

"You're not sick or anything so that's good. You just have some sore muscles. Just take two of these pills every six hours to relieve the pain." He cracked a small smile at me. "You're sure everything is alright, Shion-chan? You can tell me if something else is bothering you! I can help!"

"I'm fine, don't worry about me." I snatched the bag and walked out of his office. "Thanks…Manager…"

"Oh, excuse me, Shion?"

"What now?" This time I was genuinely losing my temper. Wouldn't this guy shut up for once?

"Um…did you hear about the fight last night?" Irie was suddenly serious. "You know, how two people fought near the swamp?"

I swallowed hard. He knew about it? Was he there checking out the scene with the cops? And why did he suddenly bring it up? Was he deliberately trying to freak me out or something?

"I actually just came from that road…they told Kasai and me everything…"

"It's a real shame." Irie walked up to me. "I was there early this morning, trying to help find the body of the person who was killed."

I faced him partially, but I didn't look him in the eye. "D-Did you find anything?"

"No, but the police and I did notice that the body was kicked into the swamp. There are tracks along the cliff that leads down into the water. It shows that the body slid down there. Despite that, nobody could find the corpse. It should have been floating around that area, but it seems to have vanished without a trace!"

I didn't know where it went, but frankly, I was really trying not to care.

"It doesn't make sense to me! It's like he was spirited away or even demoned away!"

I clenched my fist tightly. I didn't want to hear that phrase!

"I hope this gets solved soon…the cops didn't tell you anything new did they?"

I couldn't hear the cicadas chirping outside. All I could hear was our voices and my rapid heartbeat. "No…I didn't hear anything. They were still looking for that body."

Irie sighed heavily. "What in the world happened?"

"I really should go!" I said a quick goodbye and I ran out of the clinic.

I ran to the passenger's side of Kasai's car. I dropped the pill bag into the cup holder and sat in my seat. I slammed the door shut. I held my head tightly and breathed hard.

"Shion-san? Are you okay?"

"I don't want to hear about that murder! I don't want to hear about it at all!"

Kasai jumped in his seat as I screamed. "I-I'm sorry! Did the doctor say something about it?"

"He wouldn't shut up about it! I don't want to talk about it! I don't want to hear about it!" I swung my fists down on the dashboard. The plastic cracked. "I don't want to hear about it anymore!"

"Easy, Shion-san! Take it easy!" Kasai shook me a little. "We're not over there anymore! It's over now! Just take it easy!"

I took deep breaths and ran my hands through my hair.

"…I'm sorry, Kasai." I looked out ahead of me into the green fields and into the bright blue sky. "It's just…it really made me uncomfortable…I'm sorry for flipping out like that."

"It's understandable, Shion-san!" Kasai patted my shoulder. "Nobody enjoys hearing news like that. Let's just take it nice and easy. I'll take you to the head house right away so you can see Mion-san and Satoko-san. I'm sure seeing them will make you feel much better!"

His voice was so calm and so caring. Kasai's always been with me through thick and thin. I always trusted him. He was there when nobody else was. He wasn't just my bodyguard, but he was one of my best friends.

"Thanks, Kasai." I managed to smile at him.

After waiting for another minute to see if I was fine, he put the car in drive and we moved on to Mion's house.

Kasai dropped me off at the front door of the Sonozaki house. He wanted to go run some errands in the village and then he was going back to Okinomiya. He wanted to see if I was fine with his plans. I personally didn't care what he was going to do, but he told me just in case if I needed him. I could reach him using a radio he gave me. I could call his own radio in his car if there was an emergency. He was worried about my sudden lashing out and wanted to be sure if I would be fine.

I left the pain pills with him. I was going to take some to ease the pain in my muscles, but I didn't think I could stomach them for now. Kasai wished me farewell and reminded me three times to call him if I ever needed anything. He cared about me so much right now. But I was a tough girl! Coincidences weren't going to kill me! I just needed to take a breather and enjoy myself! Satoko, Mion, and Kei-chan would definitely help me!

I rang the doorbell on the front door. There was no answer at all. I rang it a few more times, but I got the same result. Where was everybody? Instead of waiting around to be noticed, I decided to go a different way.

I walked around the house to the main garden. As I walked, I heard the birds singing and the water flowing majestically down the stream. The flowers were blooming very beautifully. Did they know the tragedy that happened today? Did they know that someone was killed? I had to stop thinking like that! I forced those thoughts out of my head. I was supposed to be happy! I was going to be with my friends today! Nobody was going to spoil that, not even Houjou Teppei! He could search high and low for Satoko, but he would never find her!

I arrived outside the living room near the main garden. I heard laughing and grunting. I peeked around the opened door to find Mion and Satoko giggling, while Kei-chan was rolling on the floor, gripping his head, crying like a baby. They were playing some board game. I didn't recognize it at all. I think it was one of Mion's imported games. She had this thing for these games, it was like an obsession. I swear, one day she would open her own shop, or museum for that matter, to display all of the games she acquired. I wouldn't put it past her!

"That's another round you've lost, Kei-chan!" Mion cackled. She looked at him deviously, "You know what that mean, don't you?"

"Oh man…" He was cowering in the corner of the room.

"You have to pay the price, Keiichi-san!" Satoko was walking over to him like a zombie. Mion joined in as well.

"You guys are scaring me! Knock it off!"

"Keeeeeeeeeei-chwaaaaaaaan!" Mion stuck her hands forward.

"I want to eat your braaaaaaaaaaains!" Satoko groaned.

"Stop it! Stop it!" Kei-chan covered his head with his arms.

They both pounced on top of him and began tickling him. He was laughing like a crazed hyena and he was shouting at them to stop. They were merciless! They kept tickling him so he could barely breathe!

"How many times has he lost today?" I chimed in as Kei-chan was writhing on the floor in the agony of his tickle induced laughter.

"Oh? Nee-nee!" Satoko hopped off of Kei-chan and sprinted over to me. She tackled me so hard that I fell over on my back. My sore muscles were throbbing because of the impact.

Mion was still on top of Kei-chan. She looked at Satoko hugging me and laughed. "Shion! What brings you out here? You want to join the festivities?"

"Ahaha!" I got back on my feet and entered the living room with Satoko. She was smiling so brightly at me. Her eyes didn't leave me at all. We walked over to Mion. "I don't want to impose! I just came to see how Satoko was doing!"

"I'm great!" Satoko said happily. "We just finished another round of this new game Mion-san just got! Keiichi-san's lost all of the matches so far! Oh ho ho ho ho! His tears of defeat make me so happy!"

Kei-chan tried to hide his face in shame.

"Poor boy! You'll come around, Kei-chan! Wait a sec." I looked at the way Mion was sitting on Kei-chan. She was sitting on his waist and her hands were on his chest. "My, my, my! Sis, what on earth are you doing?" I smiled widely. "Couldn't wait until tonight I take it?"

"Huh?" Sis looked around herself. She noticed the position she was in. Her face flushed and she fell off of Kei-chan. She stood up and was slurring her speech. "I-I-I…it's not what it looks like! I-I-I was just p-p-p-punishing him for l-losing the game! I wasn't doing anything!"

"Ahaha!" I poked Mion's shoulder. "That's not what I saw! You know, it would work much better you weren't wearing-"

"SHUT UP! Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Her arms flailed around violently.

Satoko blinked at this display. "I don't get it! What's Mion-san so embarrassed about? There was nothing wrong with that picture! She was just tickling Keiichi-san!"

"In **all** the right places I imagine!" I put my hand up to my mouth and imitated Satoko's laugh.

Kei-chan stood up and looked just as embarrassed as Sis. He scratched at his head and looked away from us.

"Kei-chan, you dog!" I nudged at him with my elbow. "Although, you have to be real gentle with Sis! She's a very delicate girl!"

"I told you to shut up!" Mion threw a punch at me.

I hopped back, evading her fist with a second to spare. Kei-chan wasn't so lucky. The punch that was meant for me hit him square in the face. He collapsed to the ground like a ton of bricks. Mion gasped and lifted him up. She was holding his motionless body in her arms.

"Kei-chan! I'm sorry! Are you okay?"

He had these funny swirls in his eyes! His mouth was agape and a huge red mark was on his face! "I…I give….I give…please don't make me wear the outfit again…please, momma…!"

"Poor Kei-chan! He keeps getting hurt today!" I laughed again.

"You made me do it!"

"I didn't do anything! Ahaha!"

After Kei-chan came around, I joined in for the next round. We played for a few more rounds until Mion, Keiichi, and Satoko wanted to take a break. The three of them looked so happy together. The tension between Mion and Satoko was completely gone, I could feel it. It was back to the good old days, when all of us were the best of friends.

Keiichi seemed to notice that they were friendlier to each other than usual. I wonder if he even knew about the argument Mion and Satoko had the week before. It didn't seem like it. Well, at least those two girls were back to being friends. I just hoped that Sis had to guts to tell Kei-chan her feelings. If she didn't then I would have to find a way to make her do that.

We were having tea and some of Onibaba's ohagi. The taste was too strong for me. It felt like the roof of my mouth had been stabbed by a needle every time I took a bite out of it. They liked it though. I put mine aside and stuck with my tea.

"You three have been playing all day, huh?" I asked.

"Pretty much!" Satoko was beaming. "We did that all of last night too! When Rena-san and Rika dropped off our homework, we didn't even do it! We just played games and told stories all night long!"

"You really should do your work though! When you go back to school, you don't want Chie-sensei to smack you with a T-square for being lazy!"

"Lighten up!" Sis spoke up. "Satoko will be staying for a little while so why try to dampen her fun?"

"I don't want your behavior rubbing off on her, Sis! Satoko is a growing woman! She needs to focus on her education!"

"She can do that in school! This is 24/7 play time mode at the Sonozaki house! Gahaha!" She laughed evilly. "Working is against the law over here!"

Kei-chan frowned. "We really should do some of the work. Having this stuff to do at the last minute will destroy us!"

"I'll worry about that when the time comes! Ahaha!" Mion slapped his shoulder.

"Mion-san!" Satoko tapped her arm. "I just remembered! Didn't you say you wanted to find something in the mountains? That special 'thing' you were looking for?"

"Oh yeah! I said I wanted to get that done sometime soon, didn't I? Let's go do that right now! Shion! You stay with Kei-chan, alright?" She looked at me seriously.

"What? What are you up to?"

Mion and Satoko laughed. Sis leaned over to me and whispered. "It's something for Kei-chan! I'm getting ready to tell him! Everything is going according to plan! Thanks for having him stay here for a while! Hehehe!"

I cocked my head and my eyes nearly came out of their sockets. She was going to tell him soon? I wished she'd just do it now! I nodded and winked at her. Satoko gave Keiichi a quick hug and Mion waved goodbye at the both of us. They would be back in an hour or so. After they left for the passage way into the mountains, via the secret chambers toward the end of the main garden, it was just me and Kei-chan.

"I'm very relieved that Satoko's happy!" I smiled as her and Sis ran off.

"Yeah. She doesn't know a thing about her uncle." Kei-chan was sitting next to me now. "Good." I rubbed at my shoulder. It was starting to hurt again. The pain disappeared after Satoko tackled me, but it returned. I should have taken one of those pills before I left Kasai.

"Are you sore?"

"A little. I think I slept the wrong way last night. I had trouble sleeping…I had a nightmare…"

"I'm sorry. Can I do anything?"

"I wouldn't mind a massage, but I'll just wait until I get home. I'll take a pain killer then!" I smiled at him. "I don't think you'd be comfortable giving a massage!"

"I can give you one, if you'd like." He said flat-out.

My face was hot for a moment. His sudden response really threw me off. I tried to talk him out of it, but he insisted. I sat on my legs and turned my back to him. He sat behind me and laid his hands on my shoulders gently. I was trembling under his touch.

He gently squeezed my shoulders and rubbed them. He even rubbed around my neck for a few minutes. It was wonderful. The pain I felt was going away. He was untying each knot in my muscles. I couldn't believe how good it felt. I moaned quietly to myself. I thought he heard me, because he continued rubbing around that same area. I didn't want it to end. But at the rate this was going, he was going to drive me crazy. I didn't think I could contain myself.

"You're pretty good," I said softly. I moaned a little louder as he squeezed my shoulder a little harder.

I knew he was blushing. "T-Thanks…"

"No, thank you." I closed my eyes. "I didn't get much sleep last night because of that nightmare. Kasai said I was tossing and turning all night."

"What was your dream about?"

I hesitated. I remembered the crime scene. "I don't know if I should say…"

Kei-chan stopped massaging me for a moment. "It's just a dream. You know it can't hurt you, right?" He chuckled.

"I know…but…"

"If it's bothering you that much, maybe you should get it off of your chest? I bet it'll make you feel much better! It'll be like throwing up! When you get that nasty stuff out of your system, you'll feel as good as new!"

"…What a lovely image…"

"Sorry! It's true though!"

He was right. I was bottling this terrible dream inside of me. If I talked about it, maybe I could feel at ease. All of my worries could go away. I trusted Kei-chan with my life. He would listen to me and make me feel better. He really would. He had that amazing ability.

"Well," I held my arms tightly. He began massaging me again as I spoke. "I dreamt that I was in the forest next to the Onigafuchi swamp. I don't know I got there, but I was walking through those woods. I was being chased by somebody. This person turned out to be a monster and he attacked me. I fought back and I…ended up killing the monster. I threw the body into the swamp where it was eaten by these dark creatures.

"I was so happy I killed that monster. He showed up in another dream of mine before, where he was assaulting this smaller creature. I fought him then too. I've been having these terrible dreams lately, and this one about the swamp was the worst."

"It's over now though, there's no reason to be afraid of it!" Kei-chan smiled at me. I could feel the warmth his smile upon me, though my back was facing him.

I wonder if he knew about the crime scene. "…Did you know that there was a crime scene near the actual Onigafuchi Swamp?"

He stopped massaging me again. "There was?" He sounded shocked.

"Two people were fighting and one died. No one found the body yet, even though it was thrown into the swamp."

"That sounds exactly like your nightmare!" Kei-chan was quiet for a minute. He turned me around to face him. He knew what I was thinking and how I was feeling. "Wait…you mean to tell me…"

I had to be totally honest with him. He knew how I felt, but he wanted me to say it. Usually, I knew what he was feeling and tried to get him to talk about it, now he was playing my role. It was a strange shift in our jobs, but I kind of liked it.

"I am…I am afraid of it…" I looked at my hands. "It felt so real…and someone really died at the swamp. The person died the exact same way I killed that monster. What if…by some weird chance…I killed that person? "

"Stop talking like that right now!" Kei-chan looked at me so sternly. He gripped my shoulders. "You're not responsible! Why would you feel guilty for something you didn't do? You wouldn't kill anyone! That's impossible!"

"But I…"

Kei-chan shushed me. He covered my mouth and just smiled at me.

"You shouldn't think like that at all! It was just a dream and nothing more! So what if it was a coincidence? I know you! I know you wouldn't kill anybody!"

I was silent.

"Look, the police will find out who's responsible and put him away! I know somebody else did this! They'll find him and lock him up!"

I slowly nodded. I was starting to listen to him. I was just having trouble sleeping. Kasai confirmed it. I didn't leave my room at all. I didn't know what I was thinking or why I was worrying about something that didn't involve me. I must have been losing my mind. Ever since Takuma mentioned demons that time, it's been slowly eating away at me. It was my own fault for letting it tear away at my heart.

Keiichi placed his hand on my head and he rubbed it. "You worry too much about the tiniest thing that doesn't concern you! I'm like that way too sometimes, but we gotta learn to think logically! Hehe!"

He had a strong point. My dream was so real, but everything was just a coincidence. Somebody was pulling a prank on me. Somebody wanted to see me go crazy.

Keiichi took back his hand and smiled brightly at me. "Feeling better?"

I stared at his hand. "…Yeah…" Why did he stop? Couldn't he do that a little bit more? I would have like that…just a few minutes longer…

Part B

I left the Sonozaki head house a while later. Mion and Satoko hadn't returned yet and I didn't want to distract Kei-chan any longer. If he kept massaging me and rubbing my head, I might have lost it. It was better this way. I said my goodbyes to him and walked off. I was walking down the road, just enjoying the crisp afternoon air.

Kei-chan set me straight. I was mad to believe that I was the culprit. I just had a nightmare. That's all that it was. It was just a really bad dream.

I was walking past the junkyard now. I didn't know where I could go now. I wanted to stay with Keiichi, but I'd just be getting in Sis' and Satoko's way. I didn't want to overstay my welcome. After that huge speech I gave to Mion about her feelings, it would look weird if I hung off of Keiichi. I had the urge to do so, to make him rub my head again, but I controlled myself. I didn't know how I did it, but I did. He was Mion's, not mine…

I heard clanging sounds coming from the junkyard. I had an idea of what, or who, was causing them. Mion told me stories about how a certain individual would rummage through the mountains in search of something cute. Maybe I could pay this person a visit while I was here.

I hopped over pipes, plywood planks, and broken sofas and chairs until I came to the center of the junkyard. I found a trailer, four mountains of trash, and a girl in a sailor fuku outfit. She was trying to move this large pipe that was covering more piles of junk. That pipe looked way too heavy for her to move just by herself!

I approached the girl and grabbed a piece of the pipe. I helped her yank it out of the pile. When she saw that someone had helped her, she turned to see me.

"Hiya!" I waved.

"Shii-chan!" Rena jumped up enthusiastically. "You came to help me treasure hunt?"

"I was in the neighborhood so I decided to drop in!" I examined our surroundings. There were mountains of junk everywhere. It was like a barrier from Hinamizawa. I was in Rena's world now. "There's so much in here! I gotta say, this is some hideout you have!"

Rena smiled. "Yes! It's my favorite place in the whole village! It's very special! No one but the club knows about this place!" She looked at me with these big eyes. "And no one can hear anything from here either."

"Ahaha, is that right? You could probably kill someone here and nobody would know, huh?" I laughed a little.

Rena didn't join in my laughter. She only stared at me.

"You okay, Rena?"

"Haha!" Rena closed her eyes and kept smiling. "I'm fine! I'm just looking for something cute like always!" Rena turned around and was moving pieces of lumber away from the pile she was working on.

I moved to help her, but she stopped me.

"I met a friend of yours today, Shii-chan!"

I blinked. "A friend? The only friends I have are you guys! I don't have anybody else!"

"No! I met Hanzaemon-san!"

That weird cop entered my brain. I couldn't help but shiver when I heard his name. All I thought was that time when he spoke so coldly to me over the phone. He was getting very familiar with the lore of Hinamizawa, since he spoke of demoning away. I seriously hoped he was just playing a dumb joke. I hoped he didn't actually believe in demons or any of that.

"Oh, Takuma! You met him?" I asked, still retaining my composure. "What do you think of him?"

"He's really nice! I met him in 7th Mart yesterday! He's a very handsome and intelligent man!" She put her hands on her cheeks. "And that suit he was wearing…hauuuuuuu! I want to take it home with meeeeee!"

I shook my head at Rena. "I don't think I'll ever understand your tastes, Rena!"

We both laughed.

Rena moved another large piece of lumber. "I'm happy we have a new friend we can talk to! Now we have Akasaka-san and Hanzaemon-san!"

"Yeah, Takuma's not bad…" That phone call was lingering in my head.

"They're making sure Teppei stays away from Hinamizawa! They're making sure he goes back to jail! He promised me he would lock him up when we spoke in the store last night!"

"You were out last night?" I was shocked.

Rena faced me and nodded. "I ran out of ingredients to make my lunch for school today so I went to the store. That's when I met him."

"Is that so?"

"Why do you ask, Shii-chan?"

"N-No reason, I was just curious."

Rena's eyes never left mine. I shifted my eyes around because I was becoming uncomfortable as she stared at me.

"Did something happen last night?"

I perked my head up. My heart rate picked up. "Well…you did hear about the crime near the swamp, didn't you?"

Rena nodded. "I did. Chie-sensei let us out early today, so I came here. Hanzaemon-san saw me today when I was leaving school. We talked for a while. He told me all about the incident." Rena's voice wasn't as cheery as it was before.

"What was Takuma doing in village today?"

"He was exploring to memorize where everything is."

"I see." I scratched my arm and sighed. "Man, I wonder who was murdered over at the swamp…I really hope Takuma gets that guy!"

Rena took a step toward me. She smiled cutely at me. "What makes you think what happened at the swamp was a murder? Nobody said anything about a murder!"

I blinked at her. I took a step back. "I-I just assumed that that was the case!"

"Why would you think somebody was murdered, Shii-chan?"

"Well, I heard that somebody was beaten to death and then thrown into the swamp! That's constitutes murder, doesn't it?"

Rena took another step. "Think carefully, Shii-chan. Two people were near the Onigafuchi Swamp. One person vanished and another person disappeared into the night, never to be seen again. Where did that person go, I wonder? It makes perfect sense!" Her eyes were on the ground.

I, in turn, stepped back again. "What are you talking about? It's a murder! One person was killed and dumped in the water!"

"A murder? Why do you insist that this is a murder?"

"The cops said somebody witnessed the brawl and the killing!" I was getting angry now. Wasn't she listening to me?

"Somebody saw the crime? Who did? Who was the source that confirmed it was a murder?"

"H-How should I know?"

Rena was still looking down at the ground. Her voice sounded monotone. "Do you believe them?"

"They're the police! They're experts! They know that this is a murder! Why shouldn't I believe them?"

"Again…why are you so hung up on that idea?"

I shouted. "Haven't you been listening to a word I've said, Rena? Because it is! They have a source and they say it was a murder!"

Rena shot her head up and glared at me with these reptilian eyes.

"THAT'S A LIE!"

Rena's scream echoed into the forest near us. The ravens flew from their branches and cawed loudly. They flew over me. Their shadows cast down on me. I instantly felt cold. My pulse trembled and my body was frozen stiff.

Rena walked up to me. "This wasn't a murder, Shii-chan…Rena knows…"

I couldn't speak at all. Those horrific eyes paralyzed me. Rena's aura was different now. I could see the dark miasma pouring out from her.

"Rena knows who's responsible…you shouldn't always think a person is behind everything!"

"Then…who's responsible then?"

"Hahahaha…" Rena was as close to me as she could get. She looked up into my eyes. She was smiling happily at me. "Oyashiro-sama…"

I took back my fortitude and grabbed her shoulders. I gritted my teeth at her and shook her violently.

"Don't give me that! Oyashiro-sama's just a myth! He's a superstition created by the village to scare people! He's nothing but a false god! There are no such things as demons or anything like that! Quit living that stupid fantasy world of yours!"

Rena continued to smile at me. "You don't believe in Oyashiro-sama?"

"Of course not!"

"Hahahaha…then you'll be cursed too…!"

What did she say to me?

"You're cursed now! Because you denounced Oyashiro-sama, you'll be cursed! Hahaha…!" Rena took my hands off of her shoulders. She brought her face closer to mine. "He'll curse you! You'll be demoned away just like that person was at the swamp! You'll be eaten by the demons that lurk beneath the water!"

What the world was she saying?

"Demons exist, Shii-chan!" Her cold breath blew onto my face. "Rena knows! Everybody has one deep inside of them too! I have one…I know I do!" She held my face in her hands. "Does Shii-chan have one too? I wonder!"

I felt an excruciating pain in my stomach. Something inside of me was trying to come out! It was trying to break free from me! It was speaking to me! I could hear the cold voice in my head! I could hear him putting thoughts into my head!

Why didn't she shut up about demons? Why didn't she shut up about Oyashiro-sama? I wished she wouldn't talk anymore! I wish she would just be quiet! The voice inside of me wanted to kill her…it wanted me to kill Rena! I should kill her! Nobody knew about this place! Nobody could hear anything! I could kill her and get away with it! Nobody would have to know! She started this! She started this whole talk about demons! She needed to learn her place!

I saw a pipe lying next to my feet. I could just reach down and pick it right up. I could hold it over my head and hit Rena with it. I could keep striking her with it! I could keep hitting her until she didn't move anymore! I could do that! That's what I wanted to do! Those were my thoughts, right? I could just kill her right now! I could kill her be done with it! I could kill her and never hear another word about demons!

_"Shion doesn't have a demon! She's a kind, loving, beautiful woman! She loves her friends very much, just like I do! How is it that she's a demon when she loves us so much? Demons can't love!"_

I reached down. I picked up the pipe. Rena was still smiling at me. Didn't she know that these were her final moments? I lifted the pipe up high. I was grinning. I could almost taste her blood. I wanted to taste it! I wanted it!

"_Demon's can't love!"_

Why? Why couldn't I swing it down? Why couldn't I kill her? It was so easy to do! I just had to swing this thing down and crack her head open! What was so hard about that? If it's not hard…then why couldn't I swing it down?

I dropped the pipe and I fell on my backside. I looked down at the ground. My sweat fell to the ground and it was making a puddle. My breathing was shaky. My body was on fire. My head was pounding and my heart was about to burst.

"Shii-chan!" Rena knelt down to me. She held me close and rubbed my shoulders. "What happened? You blacked out!"

"What?" I looked at her. "What…happened…?" I said very dumbly. I looked at her. Her eyes were back to normal.

"We were talking and then you picked up that pipe for no reason! I thought you were going to kill me!"

I turned to see the pipe. I really did that? I really did try to kill Rena?

"What…were we talking about?"

Rena looked at me oddly. "We were talking about the crime at the swamp! You said it was a murder and I made a joke about demons! You took it so seriously! I was only kidding, but you looked so afraid of me! You even tried to kill me because of your fear!"

"I…did….that?" Tears built up in my eyes. I threw my face into Rena's chest and I began to cry.

Rena held me close and caressed my back. She was very gentle with me and she tried to calm me down.

"Shhh! It's okay now! Rena has you! She'll take care of you, Shii-chan! It's alright!"

"Hic…hic…I almost killed you…it came back…it's tormenting me again…!"

"What is?"

"It's angry with me! It wants me to suffer! I told it to go away and now it's making me pay! I'm so sorry, Rena! I'm sorry….I'm sorry…!"

I cried louder and louder, and I gripped Rena much tighter than before. I tried to kill her! I tried to kill Rena! But I stopped myself! I managed to stop the demon again! No…wait…I didn't…I didn't stop it. I couldn't have. I heard his voice…I heard his kind and understanding voice…he helped me. He saved me again.


	4. Chapter 4: Catalyst

Chapter 4: Catalyst

Part A

I was sitting on my bed back in my apartment that evening. I sat there hugging my legs. I buried my face into my knees and sobbed. I was horrible. I was a horrible human being. I had tried to kill a good friend of mine, rather, the monster inside of me wanted to kill her. I couldn't stop it. His voice had to save me, the voice of the boy who was my only hero.

I was so afraid. If the demon could take control over me without warning, how was I going to stop it again? I couldn't keep that boy with me every second of the day! I had to get stronger! But how was I going to that? This was so difficult for me. I told myself I would overcome my obsessions and flaws, and yet I let my inner demon control me! I was such a hypocrite!

I hated myself. I didn't deserve to be happy. I almost became a killer that day. I almost stole an innocent life. I didn't deserve to be happy. I deserved to die. I should die. But I couldn't take my own life either. That would be selfish of me. That would hurt all of my friends and it would destroy Satoko. I was a danger to everyone though! I couldn't win no matter what I tried to do!

There was a knock at my door. I ignored it. I didn't want to see anybody. I didn't want to talk. I just wanted to be by myself. There was a few more knocks but I paid no attention. Why couldn't I be left alone?

"Shion? It's me, Keiichi." I heard his muffled voice from behind the door.

My body instantly hopped off of my bed and dashed to the door. I wanted to be alone, but my reflexes had me run to Kei-chan just like that. I really was a hypocrite. I was so selfish…I wanted this small pleasure even if it meant going against my established beliefs.

I cracked the door open a bit. I opened it just so Kei-chan could see my face.

"Hi…Kei-chan," I said, already guilty.

He spotted my puffy eyes and my ruffled hair. He could tell something was wrong with me. He didn't mention my appearance though. I think he was trying to be polite. "H-How are you?"

I averted my eyes from him. I couldn't bear to look him in the eye, not after what I almost did.

"C-Can I come in?"

I wiped my eyes with my arm. "If you want…"

I stepped aside and let him enter. I led him to my kitchen table. I sat at one side and he sat at the other. My gaze was upon my lap. I could feel him staring at me, it made me so nervous. I played with my nails as the seconds passed by. What was he going to say to me? Did he know about what happened? He had to have! Why else would he be here?

"I like the carpet you have here!" He feigned a laugh. "It really brightens up the place!"

"Why are you here, Kei-chan?" I asked very lowly. I wanted to get this over with. He didn't have to play games with me.

He grunted. I could tell he was trying to find the right words to say. "I…er…Rena told me about what happened at the junkyard…"

I sunk in my seat. I knew it. "She hates me…doesn't she?"

"No! She doesn't!"

"Then you hate me."

"I don't hate you!"

"You have every reason to. She told you that I tried to kill her. I know how close you are with Rena. You should despise me…you should want me dead…"

Kei-chan raised his voice. "Stop that! Why are you talking like that? Rena doesn't hate you! She's worried about you!"

I dug out some gunk from underneath my nails.

"I'm worried about you!"

I glanced up at him. "…You're lying…"

"Why do you think I'm lying? Shion…I'm really worried about you! Don't you understand that? What's gotten into you?"

I looked back at my nails. I continued to clean them. My voice was filled with so much sorrow. I couldn't take that feeling anymore. I wanted it all to go away.

"Shion…please, talk to me!"

"…It came back…"

"What came back?"

"The demon." I pointed to my heart. "It wanted me to kill Rena…I heard its voice…it made me do this. I couldn't stop it by myself."

I heard him grunt again. "This is the second time you mentioned demons to me. What's going on with you? Tell me the truth! What's the deal with this demon you keep talking about?"

I raised my head a little. My eyes concentrated on his neck. "Did Mion ever tell you about the day we were born, or about our past lives?"

"Uh…I don't think so. She never told me anything, but what does that have to do with this demon?"

I took a deep breath. This was going to be hard for me, but I had to say it now that I brought it up.

"When we were born, there was only supposed to be one child to inherit the Sonozaki name. There was a second child born and that child was to be killed. It was spared however, and that child was sent away. The child came back home, but she had to undergo many tribulations to be able to live the way she does now.

"She had to disguise herself to blend in to be a normal girl, because the family knew she escaped from the prison they locked her up in. She was caught one day and she had to pay a penalty for her crimes." I looked at my nails. The pain was coming back to me. "It hurt so much…but she was able to live a better life after showing her distinction. She was missing one thing that mattered most in her life though."

Kei-chan raised his brow. He was listening very closely to what I was saying.

"She loved this boy, but he went away, and she's not sure if he'll ever come back. Her sister had someone, and that made the other girl very jealous. It made her so angry, that her insecurities and past pains gave birth to a monster. This monster's been living inside of her ever since. She's been holding it in as best as she could, but it's getting harder and harder…"

I felt Kei-chan's eyes leave me. "You're…you're that girl…the one who was sent away. The one who had to show her distinction…right?"

I grinned a little. "I am."

"I'm so sorry…" He said quietly. "I never knew…"

"How could you have known? I never wanted to tell you…but now I feel that I should. I wish I could say it's all in the past, but that's not true. All of the pain I've experienced, all of the jealousy I've felt, and the biggest loss of my life created this demon." I placed my hands over my heart. "It's calling me; it's making me do these horrible deeds. It almost made me kill Rena…"

Kei-chan shifted in his seat. His voice sounded so calm and so caring. "Demon or not, there has to be some way you can overcome it! You're a strong woman! You can beat it! You've never given up before!"

"You don't know that well, Kei-chan. I just can't win…." A tear rolled down my cheek. "No matter how hard I fight it…it comes back stronger than before…"

"Don't give up, Shion! You have to fight!" Kei-chan got out of his seat and walked over to me. He knelt down next to me. He held my hand. "You can't just give up like this!"

My hand twitched under his. "I just can't forget about my pain…my feelings…and my past. I'm too weak…I'm so pathetic…"

"No you're not!" He squeezed my hand. "I've had enough of you talking like that! Where's the Shion I know? She's stronger than this! How many times do I have to tell you this?"

My mouth didn't open. I couldn't speak.

"Shion…let me help you! I'll do whatever it takes to rid you of that demon!"

I saw him out of the corner of my eye. He was standing his ground. There was no way that he was going to let this go. He was going to fight until he couldn't fight anymore. He was going to do that for me.

"You know, Kei-chan," I said, as soft as I could. I placed his hand over my heart. He was so warm and tender. My cold body was enveloped in this delightful warmth. It was nice. "I heard another voice that called out to me too. That voice saved Rena…and it saved me…"

He blushed but he remained serious despite where his hand was. "Who's voice was it?"

I honestly smiled at him. I held back the tears that wanted to flow from my eyes.

"Yours."

"Mine?"

I nodded. "When I told you that Teppei returned, when you said I didn't have a demon, you told me demons couldn't love…remember?"

His fingers brushed against my blouse. "Demon's can't love…"

"You're right…but it me almost made kill Rena. I'm infected by it…I'm becoming a demon myself…"

"You're not! That was the demon who tried to do that evil act!" He returned my smile. "Shion didn't do that! She's not capable of murder!"

I still smiled at him. He was such a silly boy. He had no idea who he was talking to.

"Shion is a good person! I know you…I know who you are! I don't care what you say or how many times you deny it! Disagree with me all you want, but my thoughts toward you will stay the same! You'll always be Shion to me! I'll never see you any different!" He grinned at me. "Let me help you!"

I looked away from him, but he turned my face back to see him. His hand was still over my heart. He took it back for a moment and touched my head. He gently rubbed it for me. He knew I enjoyed the feeling.

"When you first did that to me…I absolutely hated it." I giggled. "Your hands were so incredibly rough and uncomfortable to me. I hated the way you rubbed my head…I only let Satoshi-kun do that to me. But now…I kind of like it. Your hands are a lot warmer than before…"

"Why is that?" He chuckled "Am I wearing you down? Do you like me? Hehehe!"

I didn't laugh with him though I was smiling at him. I was afraid of this. I was afraid that this would happen to me. My heart was too fragile to be feeling this.

Kei-chan remained there with me for another hour. Before he left, he told me to call him if I ever needed someone to talk to or to vent to. He wanted to be certain that I would be alright. I told him that he'd be the first person I would call in case I ever needed anything. He left my apartment with his bright smile and with one more pat on my head.

I slammed the door shut after I saw him walk down the staircase leading down to the street. I pressed my body against the door and whimpered. I slid down and fell on my knees. I clawed at the door with my nails and desperately tried not to cry. I was so sick of crying, but the tears wouldn't stop coming. What was wrong with me? Why was I so damaged? Why did I have to ruin every good thing that came my way?

Kei-chan did his best to convince me otherwise, but I knew this demon was slowly infecting me. It was beginning to hurt everyone close to me. Its first target was Rena. She was spared, but it wouldn't be long before it would try to find a new target. I had to keep all of those dark thoughts, urges, and my past out of my mind. If I could force it all into the back of my brain, I would forget about it. I could be free.

While I tried to put every one of my darkest secrets and pains away for good, I began to think about Rika-chan. She was the Furude head now and she was a priestess. I knew I didn't believe in the religion of Oyashiro-sama, but maybe Takuma was right: maybe there was some truth to the old stories.

Hinamizawa was once Onigafuchi, the land of demons. Humans and demons coexisted and their blood mixed together. The Sonozaki family surely must have been one of the first families in Onigafuchi, when the demons first came. I wouldn't doubt if the demon that dwelled inside of me was one of those monsters from the past. Its blood mixed with a Sonozaki and that blood carried on to this generation. Sis didn't seem to have one, but I sure did.

Rika-chan, as a priestess, had to have some power over these spiritual forces. Maybe if I could get a blessing from her, just for the hell of it, then maybe this demon could be expelled from my body. If there was one chance that could make me free, it was Rika-chan. My own determination was dwindling, and while Kei-chan's words stopped me from killing Rena, I feared they might not be enough to further combat this devil. Rika had to help me!

I struggled to get to sleep that night. I jumped all around in my bed, but I just couldn't get comfortable. I was so hot under the blankets. Even when I lay on top of them, I was still hot. Maybe a glass of water would cool me down.

I rose from bed and made for the kitchen sink. I noticed Kasai didn't come home yet. He must have been doing a job for Onibaba while she was away, or maybe he was checking on Mion to see how she was handling things.

I took a glass and filled it to the very brim. I chugged the water down in a few gulps.

I heard breathing behind me.

I stood like a statue. What was behind me? An intruder? I didn't hear the door open! I didn't have my stun gun on me. I could spin around and sock the bastard right in the jaw though!

I twirled around and threw a hard punch.

My fist was caught by a claw. Those claws dug into my skin. I grimaced and dared to look up at my intruder.

_"That's no way to greet an old friend." _That same dark voice was speaking to me again.

My eyes shot open as I saw the hooded monster. He towered over me, driving his claws deeper into my hand. I wrestled free; my blood splattered onto the floor. I covered my wound and scurried to the corner. I squatted down and covered my head with my arms.

"Leave me alone! Just leave me alone!" I shrieked.

_"You wanted to take that which doesn't belong to you! I know…I saw the lust in your heart!" _It laughed to itself. _"Are you so insecure that you would try to steal your own sister's love?"_

"Shut up! Shut up!"

_"You're weak…pitiful…pathetic…you're incapable of achieving happiness! You're tying to abandon Satoshi-kun! And for what, an imitation?"_

"Keiichi's not an imitation! I'm not abandoning anybody!" I spat back at him. I rose to my feet and clenched my fists.

_"You're betraying your promise to Satoshi-kun though! You've betrayed plenty of your promises, haven't you?"_ Its voice became colder. It froze my blood. The demon's aura saturated the air. I wasn't choking this time. I was getting use to that rank smell and that feeling of emptiness. _"And now you wish to expel me from you? That's impossible, I'm afraid!"_

"What do you want from me?" I screamed. "You want to torture me? Well, you've had your fun!" I violently shook my head around. "If you want to destroy me, just do it already! Kill me! Kill me and be done with it!"

_"Why are you so angry with me?"_ It sounded confused. _"I was expecting you to thank me after our great accomplishment!"_

"What accomplishment?" What was he saying?

_"Silly girl…don't you remember? You were so distraught over it! I couldn't stand to see my Shion suffer any longer! I simply gave you a little nudge! Don't you feel better now that it's all over?"_

I was confused as well. "What the hell are you blathering about? Why should I thank you for anything? You've done nothing but torment me!" I screamed louder and louder. "You torture me on a regular basis! You isolate me from the people I love! You…you tried to make me kill Rena!"

_"She offended you didn't she?"_ I could see a hideous black tongue licking its canines. The green drool was running down the corner of its mouth. _"Her talk about demons and such…I know how much that talk bothers you!"_

"She said she was only joking with me! You made me think she was threatening me!"

_"She __**was**__ threatening you!"_ The demon stroked my face with that same curled misshapen claw that hurt me before. _"Oyashiro-sama cursed you! You'll be demoned away! Didn't she say that? Didn't she strike fear into you? Didn't you wish for her to be quiet?"_

"You're lying…stop! You're lying! YOU'RE LYING!" I covered my ears and hid in the corner again. "Rena wasn't threatening me! She wouldn't attack me! Stop lying to me!"

"_Why would I lie to myself? We're one in the same now!"_

"Shut up!"

"_I am you and you are me! Accept it! I'm you! I'm your shadow!"_ It howled and pounced on top of me.

I shrieked until my voice gave out.

Part B

When I finally had the fortitude to open my eyes, I had noticed it was morning. I was still cowering in the corner with my arms over my head. I didn't sleep one bit. I tried to control my shaky breath, but the fear inside of me was growing with each second that past. I was expecting for it to return, to get its last moments of pleasure before claiming my life, but it didn't come back.

I stood up and stumbled into the bathroom. I inspected the wound on my hand. It was real. So I wasn't dreaming...that actually happened. It could now harm me in the real world as well. I disinfected the cuts the demon gave me and bandaged my hand up and I cleaned up the dried blood on the kitchen floor. My hand stung for a while; it was telling me that I wouldn't be so fortunate the next time. I wasn't going to let that creature hurt me again. That was for certain.

I needed all the help in the world now. I was too afraid to fight this alone, but I had to. I couldn't face Rena again; I didn't want to endanger her, or anybody else for that matter. Kei-chan promised to help, but I would never forgive myself if something happened to him. I would have to fight this battle alone. I just needed the right tools on my side. That thought about Rika was my best shot. It wouldn't hurt to have a blessing just in case. It would be quick. I would get my blessing and I could fight this thing, I wouldn't have to drag anybody else into this.

I began to wonder if the library had some information on demons or how to combat them. It was worth a chance. I was willing to do anything to be rid of this monster. I freshened up, changed into some clean clothes, and went off to the library.

The library wasn't too crowded that day. I quickly arrived in the history section and began rifling through book after book. I checked each bookcase until I came across a few texts about the history of Hinamizawa, when it was referred to as Onigafuchi. I took them to a nearby table and began perusing through them, hoping to find information about the demons that once existed in the village. I had little knowledge of such. I needed to grasp all that I could.

The Sonozaki family was indeed one of the first families that had the demonic blood. I was right! The demon inside of me was definitely from that time period! It had to be! There was no other explanation!

There was another family next to the Sonozakis who first had the demon blood flowing through their veins. This was the Keima family. They were a powerful family that served Oyashiro-sama, along with the Furude family. While the Furude family was made up of the chief priests and priestesses, the Keima family was the keeper of a very valuable treasure. This treasure was the very thing that saved the village from the demon god in the time of turmoil when demons and humans coexisted. This was the Onigari-no-Ryuou.

The Onigari-no-Ryuou was the legendary sword that killed the demon god, once wielded by some woman named Furude Ouka, obviously an ancestor of Rika. After the demon god was slain, the sword was sealed away forever. The text suggested that the sword may be hidden within the statue of Oyashiro-sama in the Furude Shrine storage. The problem is that no one has seen this sword in one thousand years, so no one can be sure whether the sword still exists. Only the Furude's know if the sword is real, for they hold a document that can prove it. That document is kept in secret as well.

Now the Keima family worked alongside the Furude's. They were given a special duty involving this sword. They were supposed to protect it. I thought for a moment. If Ouka is the ancestor of Rika, then was there a descendant of the Keima family in Hinamizawa? I never heard of anybody bearing that name before. The book didn't say anything else. The other books mentioned little to no information regarding the Keima name. I was stuck at this dead end now.

The Onigari-no-Ryuou. If that sword really existed, it would be a great weapon to have against a demon. The sword was strong enough to kill the demon god in Onigafuchi, so it had more than enough power to slay a lesser demon. If only I could get my hands on that weapon! If I had that sword, I bet I could scare the demon out of me! I could kill it that way! My thoughts were pure fantasy, but who knows? Oyashiro-sama's legend, and the legends of Onigafuchi lasted for a thousand years, so there had to be at least some truth to it all. I could feel myself slowly turning into a believer.

"What'cha doing?" Somebody said from behind me.

I lifted my head up to see who was talking to me. Takuma was scratching the top of his head as he looked down at the book I was reading. His head was right above mine. I screamed and slammed the book shut. Everybody looked at me funny and whispered harshly to me to shut up. I bowed my head apologetically to them. I turned to Takuma and glared.

"What the hell's your problem?" I punched his arm hard.

"Ow!" He rubbed his arm and frowned at me. "You know, a friendly 'hello' would have sufficed!" He noticed my bandaged hand. "Jeez! What happened to your hand?"

"Don't sneak up on people like that!" I ignored him as I caught my breath. "Why are you here bothering me?"

He sat next to me at the table. He looked so guilty and depressed. "I'm sorry! I noticed you were all alone and thought you might like some company!"

I huffed at him.

"I also would like to apologize for the other night." He loosened the tie of his suit nervously. "I must have made you scared with my talk about demons that time you called me, 'cause you hung up on me. I was only joking around! I didn't mean to frighten you!"

Takuma was joking about that? Rena said the same thing when I was possessed...when I tried to kill her. Were Takuma and Rena really just joking with me? Was the demon twisting my reality?

"Can you forgive me?" Takuma folded his hands and got down on his knees. "Please?"

Everybody was looking at me again. "Yeah, yeah, fine, whatever! Now, sit down! You're drawing attention!"

Takuma sighed in relief. He wiped his forehead with his hanky. "Oh, good! I was afraid you hated me or something! Haha!" He peered at the book I was reading a few minutes ago. "What were you reading before?"

"Huh? This?" I flipped the book back open to the last page I was looking at. "It's nothing really. I was just reading about Hinamizawa's past."

"Oh, I think I know what you mean! Onigafuchi, when human and demon blood were mixed together right?"

"That's right. How'd you know?"

"I've been coming here every now and then to brush up on my folklore." He smiled proudly. "I guess you can say that I'm not a newbie anymore! I've become a regular Hinamizawan! Hehe!"

"Then you must have gotten to know your way around the village by now, right?" I looked at him condescendingly. "You said you're not a newbie, so do you know where all the major sights are located?"

His smile turned upside down. He patted his forehead again. "Well...no...not exactly..."

"Then you're still a newbie! Ahaha!" I nudged him with my elbow. "That's so embarrassing!"

He turned his face away from me in shame.

"Say, Takuma, what're you up to today?"

He looked back and scratched at his head. "I'm gonna go see if I can find the Furude Shrine today. Sempai wants me to get acquainted with that place."

"You're going there today too?"

"Are you?"

"Yeah, actually!" I grinned. I thought up a quick scheme at that moment. "Hey, Takuma...?" I touched his hand. I traced along the top of his hand very gently.

His skin jumped under my touch.

"I really wanted to go to the shrine today, but I don't think I can make it all the way there by myself!" I scooted closer to him. I ran my fingers along the nape of his neck. "I know the way, but I don't like traveling by myself...I get lonely…" I looked at him suggestively. "Can you...take me there...? Please?"

He jumped from his chair and straightened his jacket. He walked to the door of the library. "I think I'll drive you to the shrine today!"

"Yay!" I clapped my hands together. I grabbed his arm and held it at my chest, just to tease him a little more. He quickened his pace and I skipped right beside him. Men are so easy to manipulate!

Takuma took me to his car and opened the door for me like a gentleman. He climbed into the driver seat and ignited the engine. We were literally flying down the road to Hinamizawa. I was starting to think that this was a bad idea! I didn't know this guy drove that fast!

Takuma slowed down a tad when we got onto the road that led directly to the village. This was the road that was right next to the Onigafuchi Swamp. The crime that was committed there reentered my brain. I was feeling cold as I recalled when Kasai and I were first told of the incident, and when I had that nightmare. I wondered if the police had gathered any new information. I needed to know the truth. I really could have used some good news.

"I met your friend, Ryuugu Rena-san, last night when I was on patrol."

"Oh yeah, she mentioned you the last time we spoke." I didn't want to remember that day.

"She's a really cute girl!" He said with a sneer. "The guy who marries her will be very lucky!"

Rena would make a very good wife. I was worried by the way she was always around Kei-chan. I prayed he wouldn't fall to her charms.

"She's a very smart girl! She knows a lot of the lore here! We had this conversation about the supernatural and stuff and…wait…I shouldn't mention that. I don't want to make you angry with me again…haha!"

"Takuma?" I interrupted him. I hesitated at first, but I continued on with my thought. "D-Did the police find anything about that crime? The one at Onigafuchi?"

"We found some things," he said with a grin. "We found some blood along the grass where one of the persons was supposedly bludgeoned to death. We also found a broken timber with lots of blood on it near the actual swamp. We have it back the lab; our guys are trying to see if they can pull a print off of it."

I gulped. Did Takuma hear me? I hoped not. But…I didn't have a criminal record. The police couldn't have known what my fingerprints looked like. Even if they did pull a print out of it, they couldn't know that it belonged to me! They couldn't! And that was just a nightmare I had! Why was I getting so worked up over a dumb coincidence?

"But seriously," he continued, "why would anybody wanna kill somebody in a peaceful village like this? What, is there, like, something in the air that makes people go nuts?"

Something like that.

"I'm liking this village, but I have to admit, it's really screwy! With all the legends about demons and stuff." He cranked up the AC and laughed.

"Yeah, it really is." I tapped my leg with my finger. Something else got into my head. "Hey, I almost forgot to ask you! Did you and Akasaka-san find anything about Houjou Teppei?"

Takuma nodded strongly. "Oh, yes we did! Somebody in the courts pulled something and the guy got off with that pardon I mentioned to you over the phone. The pardon was complete nonsense. The reasons for his release for completely fabricated. Somebody was bribed to let him waltz right out of prison!"

"You're kidding! That's insane!"

"It gets more complicated! Sempai and I tracked Houjou to his apartment. We knocked on the door and ordered him to come out and talk, but he refused to answer us. We busted in and looked for him, but he was gone! We looked all over the apartment, the block, and even the whole town! We couldn't find him at all! Nobody has seen him since a few days ago!"

No way…there was no way! How did he escape from the police just like that? The slippery bastard! I swear, it would be so much better if he didn't exist anymore!

"We suspect he might already be in Hinamizawa!"

That bothered me greatly, despite the plan Kei-chan and I concocted. Satoko was safe within the Sonozaki compound, but just the thought of Teppei going after her right now disturbed me. This guy had to be caught before he could find Satoko! I feared for what he may do if he discovered her!

"Sempai tells me his niece, Satoko, is safe somewhere, right? He got a call from a kid named Maebara, who told him about some plan."

"Yes!" I almost shouted. "He has nothing to worry about! My friend, Keiichi, and my sister, Mion, will keep her safe no matter what!"

"That's a relief!" Takuma sighed. "Now all we gotta do is find this asshole and lock him up again!"

"That's another reason why you're going to Hinamizawa today, huh? To catch Teppei?"

He laughed. "You got a keen eye! I didn't want to excite you, so I didn't want to say anything."

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to pry!"

"It's alright. Just promise me one thing though." He glanced at me. He smiled very friendly at me. "Leave this to me, okay? We don't need you or anybody else getting hurt!"

"No offense, Takuma," I giggled, "but you're a newbie! Teppei looks pretty strong! Think you can handle him?"

He snickered arrogantly. He unbuttoned his jacket with one hand and pulled it back. I looked at his waist. He had a revolver on one side, in its holster, but he had another weapon on his left hip. It was shaped like a cylinder and it was in a special sheath. It looked like a regular police club.

"I got this baton straight from America. One whack from this thing and you'll go down instantly! It's a collapsible baton, for easy concealment and portability, but it has all the power of the basic club!" He beamed as he spoke of it.

I smiled back at him. "Maybe you're not so useless after all!"

"I have my moments!"

We came to the Furude shrine. We disembarked and proceeded up the steps to the shrine. Takuma looked at all of the stairs with contempt. I could already tell he was going to have a good time climbing up these steps! When we came up to the top, he was cussing under his breath. Was this guy really a professional like he made himself out to be? I said it before: this guy was an honest newbie!

I stood in front of the shrine. Just beyond the shrine was the storage temple, the Saiguden. In there lay the Onigari-no-Ryuou, the legendary swor. According to the text I read, the sword was contained within the statue of Oyashiro-sama. However, I couldn't just break in and take the thing for myself. No matter how much I wanted it, I couldn't take what wasn't mine. I would have to settle for a blessing from Rika to expel this demon from me.

"This is the Furude shrine?" Takuma eyed it carefully. He held his chin and smiled brightly at it. "It's much more beautiful than Sempai's description!"

"It's great, huh?" I smiled at him. "My friend runs this shrine. Her name is Furude Rika, she's Akasaka-san's best friend!"

"He mentioned a little bit about her, but I never had the honor of meeting her! You think she's here now?"

"I think she's still in school, but maybe we'll get lucky!" I looked beyond the shrine. I could envision the Saiguden in my head. I could imagine that sword.

"You alright, Shion?" Takuma eyed me.

"Hmm? Yeah, I'm fine! I was just thinking about an old legend here. You probably never heard of it. It's the story of the Onigari-no-Ryuou."

"The sword that killed the demon god?"

"Wow! I'm impressed!" I winked at him. "Somebody's been doing their homework!"

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Haha. If I'm gonna be part of the village, I have to know all the stories!"

"Alright, smart guy! Then tell me: who was the family that was charged with protecting the sword?"

"Uh…hmm…I think it was…the Keima family?"

"Right! Keep this up and you might get a reward! Ahaha!" He was blushing uncontrollably at me. Something told me this guy was imagining something impure. "But besides the family name, I don't know much about them! The book I was reading in the library didn't mention much about the family."

Takuma coughed and regained composure. "I researched that deeper when I learned about the Furude's ancestry. I've been hanging out in that library most of the time I've been in Okinomiya. Ouka, the wielder of that sword, sealed it away so that no one would ever use it again, correct? And the Keima family was charged in guarding it and the Saiguden."

He was fairly knowledgeable! I was becoming more and more impressed with each word he said!

"For all of those generations, the Keima family kept watch over the sword. The holy duty was passed on from father to son, I read. Every Keima child born after the first guardian was a son; there was never any record of a Keima daughter. That bloodline lasted until a few years ago, when the surviving family members died."

"They died? You mean, there's no one around with the Keima name anymore?"

"That's right. Records show that the last people who bore the name lived in Hinamizawa twenty years ago. They moved away from the village and into the big city, my guess is Tokyo or Okinawa. After they moved away, nobody heard from them since." Takuma stuffed his hands into his pockets as he finished.

"I wonder what happened to them," I said with my hand at my chin.

"Maybe they were cursed for all we know."

I looked at Takuma. He was staring at the shrine. The wind blew through his hair and he shook his head. "I guess Oyashiro-sama cursed them for leaving the village or something. Some guardian deity…"

"That's really dumb! They protected that sword for thousands of generations! Why would they be cursed?"

"I don't know. That's something I'll look in to during my free time." He walked to the side of the shrine and saw the road that led to the Saiguden. "This is the road to the ritual tools shrine?"

"Yep!" I walked to his side and grinned. "Don't get any funny ideas now! You don't want to be cursed like the Keima family, do you?"

He laughed and wiped his forehead with his hanky. "That wouldn't be good, now would it?"

"Shii?" A little girl came out of the shrine. She was in a ceremonial robe. She looked so adorable! "Is that you, Shii?"

"Rika-chan!" I ran to her and gave her a quick hug. "Did Chie let you out early today?"

"Uh-huh!" She had a big smile on her face and her eyes were closed. "I've been taking care of the shrine all afternoon!"

"Wow! I guess Chie's getting real lazy nowadays, huh? Ahaha!"

Rika joined in my laughter. She spotted Takuma. He titled her head at him. She approached him and stared at his face.

"Eh?" He raised his brow at her.

She continued to stare at him.

"I-I'm a friend of Shion's! I'm not a robber or anything like that!"

"Nii..."

"Nii…?"

"Nipaa~!" She smiled again. She hugged his waist tightly.

"Ni-Nipaa~…" He chuckled nervously and blushed. I would be blushing too if I were him!

"You know Takuma, Rika-chan?" I asked her.

"Akasaka told me about you!" Rika rubbed her cheek against his stomach.

"D-Did he now?" Takuma petted her head. "I hope he told you good things about me!"

Rika looked up at him and continued to smile. What was she up to?

"Huh? What is it? You want something?"

Her smile widened.

"Um." He fished through his pockets but found nothing. He then took out his wallet and handed Rika a bill. "I hope you can get something nice with this! I'm sorry I don't have any candy!"

"Mii~!" Rika seized the bill and hugged him once more time. That little sneak! She totally played him!

"I guess this means we're friends now, huh? Haha!" Takuma smiled.

"As long as you keep giving her money!" I laughed.

Takuma looked at his watch. "Shoot! I really should get back to work! I have to find that friend of yours and show him his lovely accommodations at the precinct! Thanks giving me directions, Shion!"

I smirked. "No problem! You just catch that guy, Takuma! We're all counting on you!"

Takuma bowed to Rika and waved goodbye to me. He was much more pleasant this time. I guess he really was joking with me that time on the phone. He wasn't a bad guy, he just told the wrong joke to the wrong person, much like what Rena did. I was beginning to like him.

"What's Shii doing up here?" Rika asked me with those big eyes of hers.

"Um…I kinda have a problem and I was hoping you could help me."

She tilted her head at me.

"Could you give me some sort of blessing?" I shuffled my feet. "You are the reincarnation of Oyashiro-sama and all, so I was hoping you could help me."

"Is Shii having trouble with something?"

"Sort of. I can't really explain it. But trust me; it's really important that I do something about it. That blessing may be what I need."

Rika nodded and took me by the hand. "I'll help you as best I can!" She giggled at me.

She led me into the shrine. It was very dark and cold, even though it was warm and sunny outside. Rika sensed my fear. She patted my hand and encouraged me to go on. She had me sit before a statue of Oyashiro-sama. I could feel his eyes watching my every move. I could feel him sensing my every thought. I could feel him tasting the fear that was in my heart.

Rika picked up some sort of staff with white streamers and bells attached to it. She told me to close my eyes and to pray hard. I really didn't know how, so I just improvised. I heard the streamers whoosh through the air and the jingling of the bells. It made me feel somewhat safer.

Oyashiro-sama, I thought, please rid me of this demon; I don't care how, just please do it. I was making deals with him. I wanted him to yank this demon from my body and to destroy it. In exchange, I would follow of his commands and never speak ill about his divinity ever again. I would try harder to overcome all of my shortcomings to become a better person. I also asked forgiveness for endangering Rena and for taking advantage of Kei-chan's kindness so many times. I just wanted help and forgiveness.

When the ritual was over. Rika had me stand up. She smiled at me.

"I think your prayers are answered!" She said happily. "I think Oyashiro-sama will protect you from here on out!"

"Are you sure, Rika-chan? This is my last hope."

"I know so! Nipaa~!"

I couldn't help but smile back at her. She did all of this for me. I agreed with her. I think everything was going to work out.

I was back in my apartment that night. I ate a very good dinner, thanks to Kasai's cooking! We were sitting at the table, flipping through the channels on the TV. We couldn't find anything to watch at all. I was humming rather loudly. Kasai noticed and looked at me with a grin.

"You seem very lively today!"

"The weight of the world has been lifted off of my shoulders! I feel so much better than I did yesterday! I feel…refreshed!"

"I'm happy for you! You have been looking very down lately! It makes me relieved to see you well!"

I winked at him. "I haven't felt this good in a while! I think I might actually sleep tonight!"

"Why don't you head off for bed now?"

"It's still early, Kasai! I can stay up a little longer?"

Kasai stood up and scooted me over to the bathroom. "You haven't gotten much sleep you said. Every hour counts! Now please, Shion-san, get ready for bed! I'll take any calls for you and I'll get started on your laundry!"

"You sure?" I felt guilty now! He was spoiling me!

"Positive! Let me handle everything! You just relax!"

I took a quick shower, brushed my teeth, changed into my pajamas and hopped into bed. Kasai was taking a few loads of my clothes down to the laundry room as I tucked myself in. I looked up into the ceiling for a little while. I was feeling so happy! Rika's ritual really hit the spot! It was exactly what I needed! I took pride in my decision and even went so far as to call myself a "genius." After a while, my eyes grew weary and I felt fast asleep.

My dreams were full of joy. I was walking through the mountains with Satoko. Kei-chan was by our side. We had a picnic together and we played all sorts of games. When Satoko was tired from having all that fun, she fell asleep on my lap. All three of us were sitting under a tree, whose cherry blossoms were in full bloom.

The wind blew past us. Some petals drifted through the air. One petal landed on top of my head. Kei-chan took it from me and laughed. I joined him; I was smiling so hard that my cheeks hurt. He came closer to me and he held my hand. I gripped his and never let go once. He looked so much like Satoshi-kun…he smelled like him…he sounded like him…he felt like him. I think it was official. I was really in love with Kei-chan.

I awoke as the sun rays splashed upon my face. I stretched and my arms and legs cracked. That was the best sleep I had in weeks. I wished that the dream I had was real. It felt like it really did happen. I could feel the wind against my skin, and I could feel the warmth of Keiichi's hand in mine. How I wished it was real!

I rose from my bed and yawned loudly. I saw the bathroom light was on and that the door was open. The water in the sink was running too. Kasai was probably brushing his teeth or something.

I went to the refrigerator and peeked inside. Did we have any eggs?

"Kasai! Do we have any spare eggs?" I called out to the bathroom.

I didn't hear anything. I just heard the water running.

"Kasai? You there?"

Still nothing.

"Kasai! I'm talking to you!" I huffed and walked over to the bathroom. "You know how rude it is to ignore someone? I thought you were a-"

My foot kicked something. I heard a ratting sound followed by a pitter patter. I looked down. I saw the painkillers I got from the clinic the other day. The bottle was opened and some of the pills were scattered across the floor. There was a pair of sunglasses next to the bottle.

Kasai was on the floor, surrounded by scattered pills. Foam was in his mouth and there was dried drool on his chin. His hands were at his throat. He wasn't moving…he wasn't moving at all.

"…K-Kasai…?"


	5. Chapter 5: Acceptance

Chapter 5: Acceptance

Part A

There were at least six police officers in my apartment. They were all in my bathroom looking over Kasai's body. He had left me just like that.

I had called Takuma immediately after I found Kasai on the bathroom floor. He rushed over with Akasaka as quick as he could. When they got to my apartment, along with their men, they took the painkillers that were beside Kasai and began taking pictures. They were examining every single inch of my bathroom. They even started to examine every other room in my apartment. I couldn't stand watching this any longer.

I stepped outside onto the balcony. I gripped the parapet hard. I could have broken it because of how hard I squeezed. Why did this happen? How did this happen? Everything was supposed to get better, right? Everything was supposed to be fine! Then why…why did Kasai have to die?

A hand touched my shoulder. Takuma had a sullen look on his face. He didn't know what to say. I turned and suddenly embraced him. I don't why I did, but I did. I stuck my face into his chest. He held me and gently rubbed my back.

I wanted to cry. I desperately wanted to cry, but I couldn't. The tears just wouldn't come. I was so guilty. I cried so much over myself that I didn't have any more tears for Kasai. I was such a selfish human being.

"C'mon, Shion," Takuma said softly to me. "Let's go to my car. I think you should sit down."

I didn't respond at all. He left my grasp; he stood next to me, wrapping his arm around me and holding my own arm that was right next to his chest. We came down the steps of the apartment building and walked over to his car. He opened the door to the passenger seat. I sat there, but my legs were sticking out of the car. He knelt down to my level; I was facing him. My eyes were locked onto the pavement.

"I'm really at a loss for words here, Shion." He touched my hand. Takuma looked almost as sad as I was. "I'm thankful that I could be here to help you though. You did the right thing calling me."

I remained silent.

Takuma pulled a taped recorder from his jacket pocket. "This is gonna be tough, but I'm going to need your official statement. I promise it'll only take a minute. Just let everything out, okay? Let's get this over with as quick as possible. Can you do that?"

I nodded.

He clicked the record button and started speaking into the microphone. "This is Hanzaemon Takuma, Okinomiya Precinct. I'm with Sonozaki Shion, a witness to the death of Tatsuyoshi Kasai. Now, Sonozaki-san, can you please tell me everything you know about this incident?"

I was quiet for a few minutes before I mustered the strength to speak. "I woke up this morning to find Kasai lying on my bathroom floor dead. There was a bottle of painkillers next to him. I don't know what it's supposed to mean…I don't think I want to know though…but that's really it."

"Did you speak to Tatsuyoshi-san at all last night?"

"I did, right before I went to bed. He was taking care of laundry and straightening up the apartment. That was the last time I saw him."

"The pills that were near him, I can only assume he took a heavy dose which led to his death. Did Tatsuyoshi-san ever have any suicidal tendencies? Or perhaps thoughts about suicide?"

I glared at Takuma. I bared my teeth at him. My canines were like fangs, waiting to be sunken into the flesh of certain prey. "Kasai would never kill himself!" I was yelling at him. "How could ask something like that?"

Takuma hit the pause button. "Easy, Shion! I didn't mean to offend you! But I have to look at it that way until we find evidence that disproves that idea!"

I understood what he was getting at, but just the way he said it angered me. I knew Kasai all my life! He wouldn't kill himself! He had no reason to! He was a happy guy! Why would he die this way though? Something was amiss! Something wasn't right about the whole thing! What wasn't I seeing?

Takuma pocketed his tape recorder. It looks like he didn't want to continue this, he got what he wanted. "Please, Shion! I know exactly how you feel, but work with me here!"

I shook my head and rubbed my temples. "I'm…sorry….Takuma…I didn't mean to snap at you like that…"

"It's fine, don't worry!" He patted my hand. "Please just know that I'm doing my best to help you! I'm not trying to hurt you!" He smiled warmly.

"…I know you're not…"

He pondered something. "Hey, why don't I take you somewhere? I'll buy you some ice cream! Would you like that?"

"No." I said sternly.

"Oh…alright…" He rubbed the back of his neck and fidgeted where he squatted down. "But…what if I took you to Hinamizawa? I'm sure you could use your sister or Satoko-chan right about now. I can take you to your sister's house! It's no problem at all!"

"I want to stay here."

"Huh? Why?"

"I want to stay here." I repeated, much colder than before.

Takuma gave up. He looked all around the interior of his car. He had no clue on what to do next. I wouldn't let him take me anywhere or I didn't want to see anybody. I just wanted to be by myself.

"Everything was supposed to work out," I mumbled.

"Hmm? What was that, Shion?"

I looked him in the eye. His eyes widened as he looked into mine. He must have seen something he didn't like.

"I was blessed by Oyashiro-sama's priestess. That blessing was supposed to make everything better…it was supposed to relieve me of my sorrows and pain…but Oyashiro-sama only increased my suffering."

He frowned at that name.

"What did I ever do to him?" I clutched my pajama bottoms. "What did I do to deserve all of this abuse? Why does he hate me so much?"

"I told you he's a selfish god." Takuma looked at me now. This time, I was taken a little aback by his gaze. "He punishes people even though they didn't do anything wrong…"

"He's a monster," I gritted my teeth as I went on. "I hate him…I hate him…!"

Takuma continued to stare at me. He was emotionless. He was merely watching me vent.

I turned so that my body was fully in the car. I threw my hands down upon the dashboard. "Why?" I yelled. "Why is he doing this to me? Dammit…dammit! That bastard! He ruined everything! He ruined my life!"

My body felt light. My head was filling with thoughts and desires. My heart burned and my stomach was tied in knots. I wanted Oyashiro-sama to experience everything I felt! I wanted him to suffer like I suffered! But I couldn't do that! I couldn't do that to a god!

"Shion." Takuma touched my shoulder. His blank eyes were looking into me. "Stop."

I expecting his voice to be full of concern over my current state, but his voice was so dull. There was nothing behind it. His eyes were empty as well. There was no sign of life within this man.

"Why are you wasting your breath against such a selfish and evil god?" He began to squeeze my shoulder. "You thought a blessing was going to help you? That kind of shit doesn't cut it in the real world, I'm afraid…"

He wasn't hurting me, but the sensation I felt from him was so bizarre. I can't describe it. I felt my blood boil.

"But maybe, just maybe…there is a way to get back at him."

"How?" I replied quickly.

"…There is a way to make him pay…you can attack him directly if you do it just right!" His voice was filled such malicious intent.

I saw something emanating from him. A venomous crimson mist was coming out of his pores. It circled around him. It enveloped his entire body and it wrapped around my own body. It crawled to my abdomen, my chest, and to my neck. It tickled my neck and I felt it lick me. It traveled to my lips. It forced itself down my throat. I was gagging. I tried to spit it out, but it wouldn't come up! The mist kept choking me!

It forced me to look at Takuma. His eyes were different. The dull eyes I saw before had changed. They were burning gold with a red slit in them. These eyes weren't human! They were…they were…

"Demonic?" He said.

He was reading my mind? How did he…?

"Everyone has a demon…don't they? Rena said that, didn't she?"

"How…did you know…?" I was still coughing.

Takuma grabbed me by the throat. He was applying so much pressure to my windpipe that he was going to snap my neck in two! I wrestled against his grip but I couldn't get him off of me!

"I know everything…Shion…" He squeezed me tighter. He brought his face closer to mine. Our mouths were a few centimeters from each other. "I know there's something awful inside of you…!"

I was running out of air. Drool was dripping from my chin.

"We're not so different, you and I." His breath was so cold. I could see it every time he spoke. "Actually…we're the same!"

"Let me go…let me go!"

"Talk to me..." He released my throat and held my face in his hands. His skin was just as cold as his breath. "Let me help you…I can help you cope with that demon. Accept him! All you have to do his accept him and he won't bother you ever again!"

"Stop it…let me go…please!"

"I…can save you…Shion…"

He pressed my cheeks together. He applied just enough pressure until I heard a sickening crack. I heard horrible sloshing sounds and the sound of droplets of water hitting the floor. My whole world went red and then it turned to black. When I opened my eyes, I was still in Takuma's car. I held my head. It was hurting so much! Why was it hurting like this?

"You're awake!" A warm and concerned voice spoke to me. "Are you alright, Shion?"

"Kei-chan?" I looked to my side. Takuma was right next to me.

I screamed and backed all the way into the driver's seat of the car.

"Get away from me! Get away from me!"

"What are you talking about, Shion? It's me! Takuma!"

His eyes were their original color and his voice was back to normal. The crimson mist wasn't around him anymore. Takuma was his old self again.

"T-Ta-Takuma…?"

"Yeah, that's right! What happened to you?"

"That…That's what I'd like to know…" I rubbed at my head furiously. I shook my head several times before I looked at Takuma again. He was still the same.

"Shion?"

"What happened, Takuma? Did I pass out?"

He grimaced. "You were saying all sorts of weird stuff. You were talking about Oyashiro-sama and you started having hallucinations! You thought something was choking you and killing you! You told it to stop and leave you alone! You looked so afraid of me!"

It happened again, just like with Rena. My whole world was changing all around me. The demon was coming back again, I felt it. It was altering my reality to frighten me, to let me know it still had power over me. My demon manifested in this world. It took the form of Takuma, since he was the closest to me, and attacked me. It had done this with Rena in the exact same way!

Even though that was just a hallucination, my throat was hurting immensely and my face was throbbing in the real world. The demon's form was much more frightening as well. Takuma's aura was more malignant than Rena's. I sensed anxiety, rage, depression, desperation, deceit, and lust within that foul air. All of those feelings were mine! The demon was getting stronger by the day! It latched onto my friends and tried to attack me through them! The next hallucination would probably be the end of me…or the end of them!

Takuma took out his hanky and held it out to me.

I backed away from him. I knew this was the real Takuma, but my reflexes couldn't help themselves.

"I won't hurt you! Please, let me help!" He was so kind and so warm. He was just trying to help me, but I was afraid.

I hesitated, but in the end, I took the handkerchief. I wiped my face clean and around my neck. Takuma let me keep it. He knew I would need it.

"Shion…you really need someone to look after you. I'm worried about you! Let me call your sister! I want to make sure you'll be okay! I'm not taking 'no' for an answer!"

After the police had finished scanning my bathroom, they left for the station. Akasaka went back with them while Takuma stayed with me until Mion came to get me, against my wishes. I just wanted to be alone, but Takuma persuaded me to have Mion come to pick me up. Takuma told me that he would let me know the second he found anything regarding Kasai. I thanked him. I also apologized for my sudden freak out. He ignored my apology and said that he just wanted me to get better.

I got on the back of Mion's bike and we rode to Hinamizawa, after Takuma spoke to her in private. We didn't talk at all. Mion couldn't find the right words, much like Takuma. Mion must have been struggling to think up a solution to help me. She must have been thinking all about what Takuma told her, whatever that was. Mion also was probably trying to think of what not to say to me, out of fear of setting me off.

We arrived at the Sonozaki head house a little while later. Kei-chan and Satoko were waiting for me. Satoko embraced me and grieved for my loss. Kei-chan was very quiet. He frowned and joined Satoko in the embrace. He tried to rub my head, but Mion pushed me into the bathroom so I could freshen up. I could have used that head rub…

I was in the bath now. I slipped off my pajamas and was soaking in steaming hot water. I wanted to go back into my apartment to get fresh clothes, but Mion and Takuma insisted that I should go to the village right away. I had to borrow Mion's clothes. After my bath, I borrowed one of her spare yellow shirts and her jeans. I was basically her, although I kept my hair down. I didn't have my ribbon in my hair though to make myself look more elegant. I just had to deal with it.

I stayed in the guest room by myself for the longest time. The hours that past seemed like mere minutes. This week was basically a hell on earth. Teppei returned to take Satoko, there was murder or a disappearance at Onigafuchi Swamp, and my demon was attacking me with full force. My mind was so fragile. I would break at any moment, I could tell. I was damaged beyond repair. I didn't think that boy could even help me now. I was a vase that had been shattered, with no hope of being put back together.

"Shion?" Mion stood at the door to the guest room. "Can I come in?"

I allowed her entry. She sat in front of me. She was twiddling her fingers.

"How's Satoko?" I asked so robotically.

"She's well." Sis grinned a little. "She's so worried about you though. She keeps asking me how you're doing. She wants to see you, but I know you wanted to be alone for a while, so I have Kei-chan keeping her busy."

"She's a sweet girl." I didn't return the grin.

Mion scooted closer. She took my hand into hers. "Shion…I'm sorry…"

"It's not your fault…"

"I can still be sorry!" Sis sighed loudly. "You're such a mess! Why is this happening to you?"

"I wonder the same thing."

She gently traced her nail along my palm. "Hanzaemon's gonna take care of this! He promised me he would do that! He's crazy about you, you know?" She laughed lowly. "You really worked your charms over him, huh? I think he likes you!"

I was quiet. I sat there and didn't open my mouth at all. Mion was growing more and more uncomfortable by the awkward silence.

"Shion? Can you please talk to me?" Mion gripped my hand. "I can't do anything for you unless you tell me! Please, speak to me! Let me know that I can do something for you!"

"You can't stop what's growing within me." I held my stomach. "It's growing by the minute and it won't stop. It's going to take control over me soon…it'll consume me…"

Mion closed her eyes tightly and looked away from me. "Kei-chan…he told me about this..."

"About my demon?"

"Yeah…he did." She tapped at the floor with her finger. She was getting nervous. "What…what really is that thing?"

I was the one frowning now. "If I told you, you would hate me."

"What? I would never hate you! You're my sister! We're twins!"

I feigned a smile. "Even so…you'll find a way to hate me."

"I won't hate you!" Mion held my shoulders. "Please, just tell me what's been bothering you! I want the honest truth about what this demon really is!"

"You should already know the first part of it, Sis." I averted my gaze. "Remember how I was shipped away to St. Lucia? How I had to show my distinction? How Satoshi-kun was taken from me?"

She nodded slowly. She didn't want to remember how much torment I had to undergo. She also didn't want to remember how she stood there and watched me pluck three of my nails out.

"All of the anger and sorrow I felt from those times…they created another side of me, a demon. It's actually funny, you have the demon tattoo on your back and I'm the one stuck with this devil." I laughed. "This demon takes control of me whenever it sees fit and makes me hallucinate. It's been trying to turn me against my friends. It almost…made me kill Rena."

"Kei-chan told me about that too. But you stopped yourself! You have power to stop these bad feelings then!"

"It's not that easy." I looked back at her. "I need something to take my mind off of it all. I need something…someone to ease my pain and my aching heart. This is where the second part comes in."

Mion titled her head at me.

"Please…don't make me say this, Sis…I really don't want to!" My voice choked up.

"Say it! Get it off of your chest!" She smiled at me. "It'll make you feel better!"

I sighed. I feared what Mion would do. I had to trust her though. She was my sister. She said she wouldn't hate me no matter what.

I looked at the floor the whole time. My arms wrapped around my stomach.

"I…I…I'm…I'm in love with Keiichi…!" I raised my voice.

Mion looked at me blankly. Was she angry? Did she hate me? What was she feeling? Oh God…why did she have to make me say this?

A few tears came into my eyes. They always came for me, but not for my friends. "I'm selfish! I'm sorry! I know how much he means to you, I even told you to confess your feelings to him! And here I am, falling in love with someone who shouldn't even be mine!"

She turned from me.

"I'm in love with Satoshi-kun too! I don't know what's going on with me, but Kei-chan is special to me! I like him, I love him! I can't help it! I love it when he's near me, when he rubs my head, when he touches me, when he holds me…I can't deny it any longer! The more I refuse to face it, the more the demon takes advantage of my vulnerability!"

I bowed to Mion. My forehead touched the floor.

"Forgive me! I'm so sorry for this! I can't help it though! I tried to stay away from him to give you room, but my feelings kept growing stronger and stronger! I-I-I…"

"That's enough, Shion!"

Mion turned to face me again. I didn't know what to expect from the sound in her voice. I was afraid of her. I was afraid of she would do to me. When she looked at me, her face didn't have any sign of fury. Her eyes held no contempt for me. She wasn't mad at all! She was smiling at me!

"Ahaha!" Mion was honestly smiling. "You know, I always had a feeling you liked him! There's nothing to be ashamed of! If that's how you feel, then that's how you feel! Even if I was mad at you, I couldn't force you to stop loving him!"

"You're…not angry with me…?" I was so flabbergasted by her. I was certain that she wasn't going to accept that!

"Of course not!" She laughed again. "I actually liked Satoshi too when he was around us! I guess we're even now! Ahaha!"

I was beginning to smile as well.

"But listen here!" Mion shot me her iconic mischievous look at me. "Just 'cause you confessed that, it doesn't mean I'm going to let you get away with it so easily!"

"Huh?"

"You forced me into this position with Kei-chan, and I'm not going to stop as I'm so close! I'm not gonna give up!"

I giggled lightly. "I really wasn't expecting you to."

Mion laughed her usual hearty laugh. "C'mon, enough of this serious talk! You're someone who could use a nice a game! Tell ya what: let's play with Kei-chan and Satoko, and then we'll get some special treats! Takuma specifically asked me to care of you! I'll do it for him, somewhat but not much, but I will take care of you because you're my sister!"

"Mion…"

"We're going to be twins in our next life aren't we?"

I nodded strongly. "I want that!"

We embraced each other. At that moment, just for a second, I felt hope.

Part B

Sis, Kei-chan, and Satoko were at my every beck and call. They brought me food, candy, tea, and they even played some games with me to take my mind off of Kasai. I would never forget what happened, but they kept trying to cheer me up. I appreciated everything that they did for me. I didn't deserve their kindness, but they smothered me with love. They were too nice to me.

I lay in the bedroll of the guest room. I was on my side, curled up into a ball, just staring at the dark wall. I wasn't fatigued, despite when I had been through. I didn't want to sleep, but I didn't feel like doing much of anything. I just wanted to stay here in this dark room.

I was waiting for Takuma to call. He said he would talk to me once he found out something. I waited all of the afternoon and most of the evening for him. He had to have found something by now. Why was it taking so long? I need to know why Kasai had to die!

The moment I thought of that, I heard the phone in the hallway ring. I was about to go and snatch it from the hook, but I heard someone coming down the hall. They were trying to be very quiet. I think they wanted to be courteous to me because they thought I was sleeping. I heard the person pick up the phone.

"Hello, Sonozaki residence?" It was Sis.

I put my ear to the door to my room. I listened as closely as I could.

"Oh, hey! I didn't expect to hear from you so soon! What's up?"

Was she talking to Takuma right now? It had to be him!

"Uh-huh…alright…yeah…no…are you serious?" Her voice grew tense. "You're sure all of that is right? Oh man…"

What? What did he say to her?

"Alright. I won't. Thanks for the update, I really appreciate it." Her voice was now sullen.

Sis hung up the phone and proceeded elsewhere. I needed to figure out what was going on! I gently slid my door open and crept down the hall after her. She walked to the living room. I stuck my head out a tad, just enough to see Satoko, Kei-chan, and Mion sitting at the small table there.

"Who was that?" Kei-chan asked.

"That was Hanzaemon, Akasaka's partner at the police department. He has news involving Kasai's death."

"Really?" Kei-chan was getting excited. "Did he find out what really happened?"

Mion spoke darkly. "Hanzaemon thinks it's a murder."

"Murder? Is that for certain?"

"It is. Remember I told you what Hanzaemon said he found when he saw Kasai's body? He found a bottle of medically prescribed painkillers. Well, it turns out those weren't painkillers! That bottle actually contained poison!"

"What do you mean poison?" Satoko was beginning to shout. "You mean someone was trying to kill Nee-nee and Kasai?"

Mion gestured to Satoko, telling her to keep her voice down. "That may very well be! The painkillers according to the pill bottle's label, Hanzaemon says, is something you can get in most convenience stores and most hospitals! He said you could find this brand in Okinomiya as well as in Hinamizawa! Somebody replaced the pain pills with poison! He doesn't know why or how, but he suspects that someone is trying to kill Shion!"

"Why would anybody want Shion dead?" Kei-chan was getting furious. "What did she ever do to anybody?"

"Nee-nee's a good person! This is so stupid!" Satoko beat the floor with her hands. "Where would anybody get poison?"

Mion rubbed her chin. "I have no idea, but Hanzaemon's looking into that. In the mean time, he wants us to look after Shion. He wants us to make sure that she's safe and that she doesn't leave this house for anything! We need to protect her until Hanzaemon figures out what the hell is going on!"

"We'll watch out for her!" Kei-chan and Satoko spoke in unison.

"Also, we can't let her find out about this! She's fragile as it is! I'm afraid she might lose it if she finds out that Kasai was murdered!"

I stood there, motionless. Not a single strand of my hair moved. Not even an eyelash fluttered. My mouth was so dry. My throat was beginning to hurt again. My stomach was killing me.

Kasai was murdered? I knew he would never kill himself, but I couldn't accept the reality behind the news. Somebody killed my Kasai. Who? Who the hell would want to kill Kasai? If he was killed, then was I the next target? I was the closest to him! Was somebody trying to kill us? What the hell…?

The floor creaked from under my foot.

"What was that?" Mion shot a quick look over to where I was.

I hid behind the wall again.

I heard her get up. She was coming over to me!

I crept quickly and quietly to my room as fast as possible. I tiptoed all the way there and gently shut the door. I crawled back into my bedroll and pretended to be asleep. A few seconds later, Mion opened the door to my room. I felt her eyes on top of me. I could feel them examining every detail of how I was lying down. She shut the door and returned to the living room couple of moments later. Once she left, I took a quick breather. That was too close!

I sat up in my bed and pondered what I had heard. So those painkillers were actually poisonous? Where did I get poison from? Those were supposed to be pain pills! Takuma said you could get the pills, namely the brand I had, at any convenience store or hospital.

Wait a second. You could get them at any store or hospital. I remembered that I got the pills from Hinamizawa the other day. I didn't get them at 7th Mart. I got them when I was at the Irie Clinic.

Something within my mind snapped. The clinic, I got the painkillers at the clinic. But they weren't painkillers, they were poison. Then…that means…Irie gave me poison? That wasn't true! That couldn't be! He didn't have a single bad bone in his body! He wouldn't kill anybody! He wouldn't try to kill me! He wouldn't kill Kasai!

But…who was I kidding? The facts were all there! I got the poison from Irie himself! Did he know that he gave me poison? Did he make some stupid error that cost my friend his life? It didn't matter…all I knew was that he gave me poison, and that it killed Kasai. It could have killed me too! I had to find out the truth behind this! I wasn't going to let this go! I had to figure this out!

I wasn't going to wait until the morning. I wanted to know now. It was around ten o'clock. Kei-chan, Satoko, and Mion were all asleep. They were tired from playing all day again so they went to bed early. That was my chance. I sneaked out of my room and checked each of their rooms quietly. They were all fast asleep. That was good. I had to do this as quickly as possible! I needed to get this done and return to the Sonozaki house before I was missed!

I borrowed Mion's bike and rode all the way to the Irie Clinic. I stuck to the shadows for the majority of the ride. There was no one out at this time of the night. I didn't have to worry about being spotted. I just hoped that I would continue to be as lucky as this.

I parked the bike at the side of building. I walked to the front door. The lights were still on, but there was no one in the lobby. I entered through the doors and stood in the lobby; I made sure that there was no one else around.

The lights were on in Irie's office. I saw his silhouette. He was working at his desk, unbeknownst to the fact that I was here. I walked up to the office door and knocked three times, very loudly.

Irie got up from his seat and opened the door. "I'm sorry but the clinic is closed…oh, Shion-chan!"

He smiled goofily at me. It made me sick.

"What are you doing out here so late? You need a quick check-up?"

I only looked at him with these dull and blank eyes.

"Huh? Are you sick? Do you need an examination? You don't look so good!"

"I know about the pills." I was going to bullshit around. I wanted the honest truth right here and now.

"Eh? What are you talking about? What pills?" He looked confused.

"Don't give me that!" I pushed him into his office. I slammed the door shut and I locked it. I faced him with a fire in my eyes. He was startled, but he wasn't truly afraid of me.

"Shion, I seriously don't know what you're talking about! Why are you so upset?"

I lowered my voice. My brow wasn't furrowed anymore. I looked depressed.

"I was in this office not too long ago. You gave me some medication for some pain I've recently been experiencing. I brought it home but I didn't take any of the pills yet because didn't feel any pain at the time. However, last night, Kasai took a pill."

I saw his eyes dilate behind his glasses.

"You know what happened to him? He died. He died right in my bathroom." I clenched my fists.

Sweat was dripping down his temples.

"The police called my sister a few hours ago. They examined those 'pain' pills you gave me. Turns out that they're actually poison." My voice grew colder.

Irie backed into the wall. I slowly walked towards him. Now he was afraid. I had caught him!

"Why did you give me poison, Irie? Why would you go and do a thing like that?"

"Shion…please…listen to me…!"

"I never harmed you in any way, so why? Why would you want me dead?"

"Shion…! This isn't what it-"

"WHY!" I screamed. My approach continued. I stomped my feet with each step I took.

"Shion, please!" He shot his hands out in front of him. He was waving them furiously. "You have to listen to me!"

I suddenly stopped.

He loosened his neck tie and tried to catch his breath. "Shion…are you listening?"

I didn't respond to him. I only stared at him.

He cleared his throat. "I…" Irie was quiet for a few more minutes before he finally began. I could sense the fear inside of him. I could taste it. It was taking over him. "The police are right…those pills that I gave to you the other day…they are indeed poison."

My eyes twitched.

"They are a highly concentrated dosage of Cyanide. They were put into pill form and distributed under the guise of the common pain reliever medication. I've had these for a real long time now…I've never used them before…"

My eyes didn't leave his face.

"I…I…please…don't make me say-"

"Why did you give me Cyanide, Irie?" I barked. "Why did you try to kill me?"

I saw tears forming in his eyes.

"Why did you try to kill me?" I yelled louder. I stomped my foot forward.

"I didn't mean for it to be this way!" He fell on his hands and knees. He was sobbing. "I never wanted any of this to happen! Please, believe me! I never wanted anybody to get hurt!"

"Then why?"

"Why what…?"

"You said you didn't want any of this to happen. You didn't want anybody to get hurt. If that's true, then why give me poison? I never did anything to you! Why try to kill me? Why kill Kasai?"

"I…I…" His sobbing only increased.

"You're lying to me."

"I'm not lying!"

"Liar!" I rushed over to him and stomped on his back. I kept stomping on him harder and harder. "Liar! Liar! LIAR!"

His grunts of pain only made me attack him harder. I wanted to hear him scream in agony.

"This-is-all-your-fault! Give him back! Give Kasai back to me! Give him back!" I kicked his face, screaming at the top of my lungs.

Blood shot from his lip and his glasses flew off of his face.

I huffed and looked down on him. I was out of breath just by this simple attack. I wasn't through though! I lifted him up by the collar and slammed him against the wall. I punched him in the stomach and punched his face until my arms gave out.

He slumped down to the floor and spat up some blood onto the floor. I placed my hands on his desk and breathed heavily. I didn't feel my arms anymore. I was so hot. I couldn't form a single thought in my brain. My body was merely acting. My brain had nothing to do with anything.

Irie struggled to get back on his feet. He spat some more blood from his mouth. He sat on the examination bed next to the window. He coughed.

"I…wasn't lying, Shion…" He was starting to cry again. "I never wanted anybody to die…but I had no choice! I couldn't do anything! It was this…or…"

"…What?"

He looked away from me. "Things are complicated…I had to do it…there was no other option…"

"I don't care what you did…and what you feel! The fact is that you killed Kasai! And you tried to kill me! I don't care about anything else! I'll…I'll never forgive you!"

"…I'm not expecting you too…but please…let me go. I'll tell the police everything! I tell them everything I know! I'll do it! I promise!"

I gripped the sides of the desk. There was a syringe and a scalpel near my hands.

"Just let me go! I'll tell them everything! You'll never see me again! I swear! I'll do it all for you! I'll do it to atone for what I've done to you!"

I slowly turned my face to look at him.

"You promise?"

"I promise! I swear I'll do it right now! Just let me go and do it!"

I released the desk and faced him. My eyes were looking at the floor.

"You can follow me every step of the way to the police station! You can confirm everything I do!"

"…Irie…?" I wiped some tears of my own away. "I'm…sorry I did this to you…"

"I'm the one who should be apologizing! You're right to hate me!"

"I'm so sorry…"

My body was trembling. I was sniveling.

He got up from the bed and staggered over to me. He didn't touch me. He just looked down at me. "I'll do whatever it takes to do the right thing…from here on out! I want to make this right!"

"I…I'm sorry…"

"You're sorry? You're not guilty of anything here! I am!"

"I'm sorry for all of this…for everything…I'm sorry I couldn't do a better job…! I failed…!"

"Shion?" His hand reached out to me, but he hesitated.

"I'm…I'm so sorry…Keiichi…I'm so sorry…"

"Shion…?"

"But…I…can't…hold…on…any longer…it's too…strong…for…me…"

"What's wrong?" Irie's voice was shaking.

"I…tried…so…hard…but I…I…can't…stop…it…anymore…I…don't…want…to stop it anymore…!"

He touched my shoulder.

"Ha…ha…ha…ha…hahaha…"

"Shion? What's wrong with you?"

"Hahahaha…hahahaha!" I began to lift my head up.

Irie could only watch in horror as my face lifted up to see him.

I was heaving. I was breathing so hard. Sweat poured down my face and my lips kept curling.

"Shion! What's going on! What are you-"

There was this disgusting sound that came from him. Something dripped onto the floor. A small groan came from his mouth. His hand left my shoulder. He held his stomach. He dropped to his knees in front me. He looked so scared.

"Kukukukuku…NYAHAHAHAHAHA!" I threw my head back and stuck my tongue out of my mouth. I was holding the bloody scalpel in my hands. "You thought I was going to believe you? You think I was going to buy all of that crap? You silly, silly man! Nyahaha!"

Irie crawled to the door of his office. His blood was smearing all over the floor.

"Like I was really going to let you go! After everything you've done to me, you'd be lucky if I let you go with just a scratch! No…you're not going anywhere…Manager…!"

"Sh…Shion…" His speed increased by a small fraction.

"You're gonna pay for what you did!" I picked up the syringe on the desk. I looked lovingly at it. My teeth flashed as I saw my reflection in the chamber. The needle glistened in the light. "I don't care…I don't care anymore! I don't care if I destroy my mind! I don't give a damn about anything anymore! All I want is for you to die! I want you to suffer like I suffered!"

Irie was out of his office. He fell on his stomach. He turned over and lay on his back. I stood over him with the needle and the scalpel. I crouched down to him. He brought his arm up to defend himself, but I knocked it out of my way.

I punched at his stomach to open his wound more. I then took the syringe and jammed it into his neck. He was choking and coughing up more of that red liquid. I lifted up the scalpel. I smiled wickedly at it. I raised it high.

He kicked me off of him. He scurried over to the receptionist's desk and lifted himself back to his feet.

"Tch! If that's the way you wanna play, then fine!" I pulled out a stun gun I had stolen from Mion's house from my back pocket. I squeezed the switched. The blue lighting frightened him even more.

I rushed him. He shoved his hand out to try and shove me away, but he did it too soon. I thrust the stun gun into his palm. His forearm drooped and he tried to shove me away with his other hand, but I incapacitated that as well. I stabbed him in the other side of the neck with the scalpel.

He collapsed onto the floor. Irie was still moving. Why wasn't he dying? Why was he still alive? I crouched next to him again and lifted the scalpel back up. I impaled his chest, his arm, his neck a few times, his mouth, his forehead, and his eyes. I kept stabbing him, grunting and screaming with each new wound I made.

All I saw was red. He was just a black figure against this red background. My hands were black as well. Every sound I heard echoed all around me. Every sensation I felt intensified.

After a while, I stopped. I looked down at my work. I didn't recognize him anymore. What did I just do? I just…killed someone! I killed him…I killed Irie…out of justice! He killed Kasai, this was a just punishment! He deserved to die what he did! Irie was a monster! He murdered my best friend and tried to kill me too! He acted like he was my friend, but he was my enemy all along! He was trying to kill me from the start! But I got him first!

Irie didn't care about me! He didn't care about Satoshi-kun! He didn't care about anything! He tried to kill us! Irie didn't get away with it though! I punished him! I stopped him before he could kill again! I did a service! I did a service to Hinamizawa!

I backed away from Irie. I backed into a wall and just stared at his body for a while. I then looked at my hands, my shirt, and at my scalpel. There was blood all over my face. I licked the corners of the mouth and tasted it. I shivered as it dripped down my throat.

"So good…"

I licked the flat parts of the scalpel's blade. I licked my fingers and my hands.

"It's so good…it's delicious!"

I squatted in the corner. I dropped the scalpel. I lifted my head to the ceiling.

"Hahahahaha…! Hahahahaha! This feels so good! I love it! I don't want this to stop! I want more…I want more!"

I licked at my fingers some more to get the last few drops of that delicious nectar.

"Nyahahaha! You're avenged Kasai! I just killed all of the evil in Hinamizawa! Me! Me!"

The lights flickered as I laughed joyously. I had won! I had saved Hinamizawa from this evil man!

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"


	6. Chapter 6: Closure

Chapter 6: Closure

Part A

I left the clinic after the deed had been done. I got on Mion's bike and rode back to the Sonozaki house. As I rode, I kept smiling and humming to myself. I had done the right thing. If I didn't kill Irie, then he would have killed me. If not me, it could have been another one of my friends. Kei-chan could have died, or Satoko, Rika, Mion, or Rena. I couldn't take that chance! I couldn't allow Irie to kill again!

I arrived back at the house. I was about to sneak back inside, but I looked at my clothes and at my body. Irie's blood was still on me. I couldn't waltz in through the front and sneak in like that. If somebody caught me as I was, I was done for. Nobody would understand the service I had done for Hinamizawa. They would only call me a murderer. But I knew the truth. I wasn't a murderer...I was a hero.

I went around the back and sneaked through the window. I was in the bathroom now. I took as much toilet paper that was there and wiped my hands, arms, and face clean. After I washed my hands and face, I turned to the door. I silently opened the door and crept through the hallways. I peeked around the corners. I cocked my ears and listened for even the tiniest sound. There was nothing around me. I was all alone in this darkness. I was in my element.

I made it to my room. I changed out of my blood drenched clothes and gathered them up into a pile. I hid them in the closet for now. I would take them and burn them tomorrow in the mountains. I would take the passage via the torture chambers and head up to there. I'd burn them and scatter the ashes into the wind. It would be like this had never happened. Nobody would ever have to know I killed Irie.

I slept soundly that night. I curled up in my bed and drifted off into the realm of fantasy. I was so happy! I was such a good person! I saved the village from evil! Now nobody would ever hurt me again! It would be my friends and I from now on! I could be with Satoshi-kun again...I could be with Satoko...I could be with Kei-chan!

The cry of the cicadas woke me up the next morning. I felt so refreshed and relieved! There was no dark cloud that lingered over my head! I was free! I was finally free! I could finally be truly happy!

A sweet aroma filled my nostrils. It smelled divine. Satoko must have been making breakfast. I jumped out of my bed and literally flew into the living room. I took a seat at the small table and had this gigantic smile on my face. Kei-chan strolled in. He yawned very loudly. He had this real severe case of bed-head! His hair was so flat and it was messier than usual!

"Morning, Kei-chan!" My eyes fluttered at him.

"Oh, hey, Shion!" He sat across from me. Why did he do that? Didn't he want to sit next to me? "Satoko's cooking woke you up as well, huh?"

"Uh-huh! I couldn't resist!"

Kei-chan laughed. I loved that laugh of his. I don't know why, but all of sudden I loved everything he did. I loved the way he talked, the way he presented himself, and the way he would sit.

"Shion, what's with you?" He pointed at me and chuckled. "Your face is all red!"

"Huh...? Oh!" I slapped myself. "I'm okay! Nothing to worry about!"

He grinned. "I think I dazzled you with my entrance! Haha! You've never seen me just waking up, huh? I guess I'm too much for you!"

I shot him a seductive look. "I think I might have been even more dazzled if I woke up beside you..."

He was totally not expecting that comeback! He blushed and suddenly covered his lap with his hands. He squealed in shame.

"My, my!" I put my knuckles up to my lips. I batted my eyelashes. "Kei-chan's very excited! If only I did wake up next to him...I wonder what he would do...?"

His body tensed up even more. He hung his head.

I laughed hard at his shame. I was telling the truth though. I really wouldn't have minded waking up beside him...

Sis came into the room with some plates in her hand, followed by Satoko with her own set of dishes.

"Mornin' everybody!" She beamed proudly at Kei-chan and I. "Breakfast is ready!"

"You better enjoy it!" Satoko laughed and set down the plates in front of us. "Mion-san and I worked real hard on these! So you better appreciate us!" She noticed that Kei-chan was still guarding his lap and that his head was lowered. "What's wrong with Keiichi-san?"

"Don't worry about him!" I snickered. "He's just going through one of his boy phases!"

"What phase is that?"

Mion realized what Kei-chan was trying to hide. "Kei-chan!" She sounded half shocked and half entertained to see him this way. "Show some decency! You're in the presence of women here!"

Kei-chan quickly got up and left the room.

"Where are you going, Kei-chan?" I asked with a devilish sneer.

"To get my good pair of shorts..."

Mion and I cackled. Satoko only blinked at us. If only Rena were here! She would probably swoon over him and try to take him home with her!

We finished breakfast and played Mion's infamous Old Geezer all afternoon. Surprisingly, Kei-chan didn't lose this time! He actually won the most rounds out of everyone! Satoko, however, scored the lowest. She would have to suffer a punishment from Kei-chan. At first she was depressed, but she seemed happy that Kei-chan was the one who was going to give her the punishment. I saw him wink at her. He was up to something! Mion picked up on the message. She scolded him for going soft on her, while he acted as if he wasn't sure what she meant.

Everybody spoke of their plans for the day. Kei-chan was going to take Satoko up into the mountains again to play. Mion was going to Okinomiya to help our uncle at his store. They were all going to depart in a short while. I was fearful for a moment, as Kei-chan and Satoko took my spot away from me. How was I going to dispose of the blood-drenched clothes now?

I remembered the torture chamber. I could temporarily hide the clothes somewhere in there until I could get to the mountains without anybody noticing me. I didn't want to leave the clothes in the house for too long. Somebody could discover them. I didn't want to take any chances. I had to make everything appear as if nothing ever happened. I was going to succeed!

Kei-chan and Satoko said their goodbyes and took off to the mountains. Mion reminded him to give her the punishment. He laughed and said that he would. I knew what he was up to. He was going to make Satoko play a game up there with him. It would just be a regular game. He had his moments when he could be so sly!

I was changing out of my pajamas when I heard the front doorbell ring. Mion said she would get it and ran to answer the door. After I got into my fresh clothes, I went out to the living room again. I cracked the door open and gazed upon the celestial garden. The flowers were in full bloom and the water was gently cascading down and through the garden. It was absolutely breath taking. I heard the cicadas singing to me. It was all so pretty.

Mion came back into the room. She stepped over to the side and called my name. I turned to face her. Takuma was standing right beside her with his bright and friendly smile. What was he doing here?

"Takuma!" I waved to him. "This is a pleasant surprise!"

"Hey, there!" He smiled back at me and returned my wave. He caught the remaining scent of Satoko and Mion's breakfast. "Mmm, that smells great! Did you guys just eat?"

"Yeah, a little while ago! You should have stopped by sooner! We would have offered you some!"

"Haha! Just my luck I guess!"

Mion led him over to the table. He sat across from me and Mion sat in between the both of us. She seemed very still. She wasn't as bubbly as she always was.

"So," I broke the silence. "What brings you out to the village today, Takuma?"

"Some news about Houjou Teppei has turned up." Takuma said joyfully.

"Oh, really?" My day was getting better! "Did you find him? Did you arrest him?"

"We did find him!"

He did? That was great! Now he would never bother Satoko again! Takuma promised me he would catch him and solve all of our problems! He came through for us!

"You caught him and everything? That's awesome!" I clapped my hands together and gave him the biggest smile I could muster.

He laughed. "Yeah! You won't have to worry about him anymore! We got him alright!"

This was perfect! Rika was right! Everything was getting better!

"We got him in the morgue!"

My heart stopped beating. "…What…?"

Takuma rested his elbow on the table and held up his chin with his hand. He was still smiling at me. "Yeah! We found him last night! Isn't that great?"

I detected a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Teppei's…dead…?"

"Uh-huh!" His smiled widened just a little. "Sempai and I were on patrol last night when we found Houjou's corpse. We found him in a drainage ditch on the border between Okinomiya and Hinamizawa. You know what the funny thing is? The water that leads to the ditch comes straight from a certain place within Hinamizawa. You know what place I'm talking about?"

My mouth couldn't open.

"I'm, of course, talking about Onigafuchi Swamp!"

I glanced at Mion. She looked at me with such emotionless narrowed eyes. What? What did I do?

"So, what I'm getting at here," Takuma closed his eyes and kept on smiling at me, "is that Houjou Teppei was murdered and dumped into the swamp!"

"B-But that can't be! That's not-!"

"Let me finish, please." He opened his eyes. He pulled a sheet of paper from his jacket pocket. He placed it in front of me.

"What's this?"

"Results of a fingerprint test I conducted. These fingerprints, here, here, and here," he said casually as he pointed to each blot, "were found a piece of timber we found next to the swamp."

No…don't tell me…

"The timber was broken and bashed in quite a bit. It had a sharp edge to it, and quite a lot of blood was found on it. That blood belongs to Houjou Teppei. Just to be 100% positive, we checked his wounds. He had many splinters in his body that matched this exact timber. Wanna take a guess at whose fingerprints these belong to?"

I was too afraid to speak. My sweat was dripping onto my shoulders. He had me right where he wanted me.

"Why…they're Mion-san's!"

Huh?

"That's right!" Takuma looked at her, still holding onto that friendly smile. "There was one set of prints in our database that matched the fingerprints on the timber, and those prints belong to Mion-san!"

Mion didn't budge an inch. She was still staring at me.

"S-Sis' prints…?"

"Yep!" He chuckled. Takuma's voice was in a joyful tone. What was this guy doing? "But that's not the only set of prints of Mion-san's that I found! I went to the Irie Clinic that same night to get some medication for my allergies around midnight. I was hoping the place would still be open; I hear Dr. Irie is quite a night owl! But when I got there, I just so happened to find the good doctor lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood!"

I gulped hard. I was such an idiot! I should have disposed of Irie's body! Why didn't I do that? I was so wrapped in my victory that I completely forgot to ditch his body! How could I have been so stupid?

"I found a syringe in his neck as well as a bloody scalpel on the floor near his body. You know whose prints I found on those items? You guessed it! It was Mion-san's!"

Mion's? Again? But…but…I killed Irie! I killed him with that needle and with that scalpel! How could Mion's prints be on there when I was the one who did the deed! And Teppei! That dream I had…I really did kill Teppei! But again, Mion's prints were on that timber I used to kill him, the monster! What in the world…? What was happening to the world around me?

"You see here," he scooted over to Mion. He threw his arm around her shoulders. "This little lady has a criminal record in our database! Her only charge was a misdemeanor from a few years ago, during the Dam War, but it looks like she'll have a charge of double homicide! Isn't that wonderful? Even though we told you kids we would handle Teppei," he turned to Mion, "you still had to take things into your own hands, huh? I don't know why you would kill Dr. Irie, but I'm sure we'll figure that out at the station!"

I was choking up. This was all a lie! Mion wasn't guilty! I was! How could they mistake her for me? Wait! I gathered my fortitude and spoke up.

"Sis didn't do those things!" I shouted out him.

Mion titled her head at me.

Takuma raised his brow. "Oh? But we have her prints! She killed both Houjou Teppei and Irie Kyousuke! You're trying to tell me somebody else did this? That's impossible!"

"It is possible!" I sat close to Takuma. I gripped the sleeve of his jacket. "I'm guilty!"

"You?" He looked at me funny.

"I am! I'm the one who killed them both!" I buried my face into the bend of his arm. "I had this dream where I fought this monster at Onigafuchi Swamp! I killed him with a timber! I ditched him in the swamp! I know it sounds crazy, but I killed Teppei! I did it!"

Takuma titled his own head. "Quit fooli-"

"I killed Irie too! You told me Kasai was killed by poison, right? Well, I got those pills from him a few days ago! I went to get revenge for what he did to Kasai! I killed him! I killed him and I enjoyed every second of it! I'm the one you want! Sis is innocent!"

"But her prints…"

"We're twins! We probably share the same style of fingerprints! I don't know! But Mion is innocent! Please! Don't take her away! Take me!"

Takuma watched me for a moment. I think he was trying to see if I was telling truth.

"Shion. Stop it." Mion's narrow eyes were looking at me again. "You're talking nonsense. I'm guilty…not you. Don't defend me. You're innocent."

"Sis!" I went over to her now. I removed Takuma's arm from her and held her hands in my own. "I'm the killer! I did all of these terrible things! The demon made me do it! It's all on me! I'm the one he wants!"

"Shion."

"I did it! I'm guilty!"

Mion pulled my ear close to her mouth. She whispered to me. "Stay quiet! I'll be alright…let me help you, Shion!"

She was…covering for me…?

"It's not fair for you to suffer so much! Let your sister handle this now!"

"Sis…" I was tearing up. I was sniveling. She knew all this time. "Please…don't…"

"Take good care of Kei-chan for me…tell him…and Satoko…that I love them…"

"No…no…no! I won't let you leave me like this! I'm responsible! I'm responsible! Don't do this! I'm begging you!"

Mion cracked a smile at me. "I'll be fine! What could they do to me? I'm Sonozaki Mion! I can do anything! Ahaha!"

I wrapped my arms around her. I didn't want to let her go. I'd do anything to keep her with me. I wouldn't let her leave me! I wouldn't let him take her!

"Shion." Takuma pulled out a pair of handcuffs from his pocket. His voice was very sullen now. "I have to take Mion-san now."

"NO!" I squeezed Mion tighter. "Don't you lay a finger on her!"

"Shion, please! Don't make this harder than it already is!"

"I'll kill you!" I pulled out my stun gun and switched it to the highest setting. "If you touch her, I'll kill you! I'll kill you too!"

"Shion, stop it!" Mion shook me hard. "Let me go with him! I'll be fine! Let me do this for you! I want you to have your chance at happiness! I want you to enjoy a carefree life! I want you to be happy for once, instead of masking your pain! Please, let me do this! I want this!"

"…Sis…no…"

Mion broke free from my grasp. She stood up and placed her arms behind her back. Takuma handcuffed her. The click of the cuffs rang in my ears. It nearly deafened me. I should be the one in those! Not Mion!

"Let's go, Mion-san," Takuma said quietly.

"Take care of Kei-chan!" Mion called back to me as she walked off with Takuma. "He's hopeless without someone to watch out for him! Ahaha!"

I reached out for her, but I couldn't touch her. "MION!"

Just like that, Sis was gone. I sat there on the floor, clutching the stun gun in my hands. I squeezed it so tightly that my arms vibrated. I was alone. Sis and I were supposed to stay together, but now she was covering up for my stupid mistakes. She didn't have to do this! I should be the one to be punished! Sis was innocent!

"Dammit…dammit…dammit…dammit!" I glowered at the bright blue sky outside the living room. It was mocking me! "Oyashiro-sama…you bastard!" I ran outside and shouted up into the sky. "Are you happy now? Are you satisfied? You robbed me of my sister! That should have been me! Why are you torturing me? What more are you gonna take from me? I trusted you! I received your blessing! I thought you blessed me and that you were going to watch out for me! Damn you! DAMN YOU!"

I dropped the stun gun. I collapsed to my knees. I was clutching my stomach. I was so sick. I felt like my stomach was going to burst.

I vomited. I coughed hard and I was choking on what came out of me. Some bits were stuck in my throat. I looked at the mess I had made. It was all blood.

It was the blood I drank. From Teppei when I had killed him near Onigafuchi, when I first tasted that sweet drink, and from Irie when I slew him in his own clinic. The blood was moving. There was something squirming within in. What was it? It was small and it was wriggling about. Oh God…was that…was that…a maggot?

I screamed at fell on my back. Some of the blood was on my chin and on my lips. They were crawling there too! The maggots were crawling all over me! I swiped at them until they were completely off of me. I stomped down on them. I broke them all into tiny pieces, but those pieces formed more of the wriggling creatures! I stomped one more time, they attached themselves to my leg! They traveled up my leg and up to my face! They covered every inch of my body! I tried, but why couldn't I get them off?

I shut my eyes tightly and then opened them again. The tingling sensations from the maggots were gone. I looked at my arms and legs. They were all gone! Was it another hallucination? I looked down again into the mess on the ground. It was still reddish. I knew it was blood. It had to be!

All of these things were destroying me! I couldn't stop them! I couldn't…hold on. Oyashiro-sama…he was the one who was doing all of this to me! I hated him! I wanted him to die! But I couldn't kill a god! I couldn't fight him! However, I could attack the very thing in which he was connected to! I could kill that connection! Furude Rika!

Rika…that little bitch! She was the reincarnation of Oyashiro-sama! She was his priestess! He had to be connected to her! If I could just kill her, I could get back at him! I could get back at that bastard! It realized it now! She didn't bless me! She had cursed me! She cursed me so that I would suffer this torment!

I rushed inside of the house. I ran all the way to my grandmother's room. There, upon the wall above a dresser, was my tool! With that, I could get my revenge! I took the ceremonial wakizashi down from the hanger and unsheathed it. The gleaming blade was singing to me. It told me to kill her!

"Hahaha….NYAHAHAHA!" I swung the blade, slicing the air all around me. I imagined myself running that little brat through with this sword! It's what she deserves! "You're gonna pay for betraying me, Rika! You lied to me…you said everything would get better, but you knew from the very beginning that this was going to happen! You cursed me! You witch…I'll kill you! I'll kill you!" I yelled. "Oyashiro-sama! Are you watching me? I'm gonna kill your reincarnation with this sword! I'm gonna kill your precious little Rika! I'll show you what happens when you attack a demon! Nyahahahahaha!"

Part B

I was walking down the road to Rika's house. I wrapped the wakizashi up in a cloth so no one would see it. Although I did that, there was no one around. They must be all home at this time.

It was early evening when I began my walk. The sun was setting in the horizon. It was blood red. The sky looked bleak to me. After all I had been through, everything looked bleak. The beautiful flowers that were blooming along the road looked dead to me. The crisp evening air was disgusting. The fresh emerald grass looked lifeless. This was the Hinamizawa I was living in. I hated it.

I hated this village. I hated it because of Oyashiro-sama. I wanted it all to be erased. I wanted it all to leave my sight, to leave existence. This village was not the home that I loved anymore. It was a land of lies of never ending torment. I wanted it to burn.

I arrived at Rika and Satoko's house. This was it. Now I would kill her and get my revenge on that damn god. I would show him, and to everyone else, how dangerous a demon really was!

I knocked on the door. There was no answer. I knocked again and received the same result. I got tired with this waiting around. I kicked the door down.

The door fell with a loud crash. I removed the cloth from my sword. Rika's time had come. I walked inside and looked into the living room. She wasn't there. I looked in the kitchen. She wasn't there either. She must be upstairs!

I slowly walked up the stairs. When I got to the top, I dragged my feet as I walked into the bedroom on the top floor. Her bed was all made up. She probably woke up this morning and fixed it before she went to school. Not finding her here, I looked in her closets, just in case she was there hiding from me.

I couldn't find her at all! She wasn't home! Did she know I was coming? Did Oyashiro-sama warn her about my plan? No, that wasn't the case. It couldn't be. She must be out buying ingredients for dinner or something. I would simply wait for her to come, and then I would shred her to pieces.

Hours past. It was already nightfall. Rika still didn't return home. I was becoming increasingly impatient. I had been stabbing the floor repeatedly with my wakizashi to kill time, but my target never showed up.

I was very suspicious. She had to have known I was here waiting to kill her! Oyashiro-sama warned her! He told her I was waiting right here to ambush her! That wasn't fair at all! I wasn't surprised though. That evil being always was one step ahead of me, making my life worse with little to no effort at all. It was all his fault! Not mine! His!

I got fed up with waiting. There was only one other place where I could think of where Rika may have been. The Furude Family Shrine. Of course! I should have gone there first! Knowing my luck though, Oyashiro-sama would tell her and she would be in her home right now, while I waited for her to come to the shrine. That clever bastard!

I left the home and followed the road to the shrine. It was very dark out at this time; nobody would be out roaming the village at this hour. I didn't have to worry about hiding my sword anymore. Even though it was late out, the shrine was the only place Rika could have been. It was worth a shot. It was my only chance!

I found the steps to the shrine. I casually walked up them, with the sword vibrating in my hand. I would take another life this night. More blood would be spilled. I would drink that blood. I wanted to drink it. I wanted to know what Rika's blood tasted like, the blood of Oyashiro-sama.

I arrived at the top of the steps. The shrine was right in front of me. If she wasn't there, she had to be in the Saiguden. Either way, she would die this night. She would die for cursing me and for taking Mion and Kasai away from me. I wondered what her last thoughts would be. I wondered if she would beg for mercy. I wondered if she would try to run from me, only to have my sword driven through her small chest. The thoughts made me excited! I couldn't wait!

I approached the main altar. I laughed darkly.

"Rika-chaaaaaaaaan! It's Shii! I want to talk with you! Could you please come out of there and see me?" I hid the sword behind my back as I waited in front of the altar.

Rika didn't come out of the shrine.

"Oh, what's this? You're going to stay in there? Fine! It doesn't matter to me! I'll come right in then! I have something I want to discuss with youuu!"

I jumped over the altar.

My feet landed on something. It wasn't the paved stones of the property. It felt squishy. The sound made my stomach churn. I lifted my foot up. I heard something oozing out. What in the…?

I dropped my sword when I peered down. I saw a tiny body, naked and bloody. Its abdomen had been sliced open and its contents were strewn about where my feet were. Its long hair was drenched in red liquid. Its little arms and legs were mangled. It eyes were wide open. Its mouth was agape, with dry drool on its chin. This…this was…Rika!

My eyes turned to her head. There was something imbedded right in her forehead. It was an odd looking thing. It looked like some sort of blade, with a hilt similar to my wakizashi. The thing looked like a drooping branch from a willow tree. The blade was broken, though. The remaining piece of the blade was near her feet. Was this thing a sword?

I backed away from Rika's mutilated body. What happened? Who did this to her? What in the world was going on here? I was supposed to kill her! Wait…I shouldn't have been sad about that! Quite the contrary, I was happy! I was happy that she was dead!

"Ha…haha…hahahahahaha!" I breathed deep and howled louder than I ever did before. "I won! I won, I won! Oyashiro-sama's reincarnation is dead now! Hahahaha! Kasai! Mion! I won after all!"

My laugh was cut short. There was some rustling that came from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder. I froze in my place. There were monsters…hideous looking creatures behind me! They had dark claws, fangs, green slime as their saliva, and these feral blood red eyes! They looked hungry. They looked thirsty.

There were at least five of them. There were all bigger than I was. There could rip me apart with a single swipe of their claws! All I had was my sword and my stun gun! I couldn't defeat all five of them, could I?

"What? Are-Are you the ones that did this to Rika?"

They merely growled at me. They approached me dangerously slow.

My face was twitching. I couldn't help but smile and laugh at this.

"You're demons too? You're just like me? Of course you are! I know it!" I picked up my sword. I pointed it at Rika's corpse. "You had your fill of her and now you want me, is that it?"

They kept getting closer and closer to me.

"But I'm one of you! We're the same! Why would you want me? I'm a demon just like you!"

One rushed forward. Her swiped at me with his claw.

I dodged, but he still managed to cut my cheek. I backed away and saw my blood fall to the paved stone. When I saw my blood, I only got more excited. I was laughing! I was smiling! I love this! I was going to fight my own kind!

"You want me, huh?" I squeezed the switch on my stun gun. "Well come and get me! I dare you to try it! Nyahahahaha! My demon is much stronger than you! I'll rip you all apart!"

That same demon charged again. I thrust the sword into its broad shoulder and stabbed its neck with my stun gun. The monster fell to the ground with a loud thud. It hit the ground so hard that it made a small crater. That was the power of a demon? It was pathetic! My demon was stronger than any of these lesser ones! I could kill them all myself!

Two of the remaining demons rushed me. I dodged the first and thrust my sword into the waist of my second attacker. I hit the other with my stun gun as I used my sword. There was only two left now. They growled at me in fury and put their claws up to their mouths. I saw their jaws moving and that slime oozing from their mouths. What were they doing? Were they waiting for me to attack first?

Just as I was about to strike, more demons came from the shadows. Each one glared at me and raised their claws. I counted at least ten now. I wasn't going to be as lucky as I was before! I had a feeling their tactics were going to change. I defeated three with no problem, even with two attacking me at once, but I couldn't fight ten of these monsters simultaneously! I knew my demon was powerful, but I had to be smart! Even with my strength, I couldn't get cocky!

I fled from them. I ran off to the side, sprinting down the road that would lead me to the suspension bridge. They ran on all fours like rabid beasts hunting down their prey. If I could get them onto that narrow bridge, I could have a chance of killing them all!

I made it to the center of the bridge. I spun around and readied my wakizashi and my stun gun again. They couldn't attack me in unison here! They had no choice but to fight me one on one now!

"Nyahahahaha! Is this all you got? Come on! I was expecting more from demons! Now, come at me! I'll make you regret the moment you decided to-"

Thunder cracked and lighting flashed in front of me. I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder and in my leg. I yelped in pain and collapsed to the pathway of the bridge. I was squiring where I lay; writhing in my pain. My shoulder! My leg! Something was stuck in them! It hurt! It hurt so much!

They all approached me and hovered all around me. Their fangs glistened in the moonlight. I was dead! They were going to kill me like they killed Rika! I was going to suffer her fate! No! I wasn't going to die! I wasn't going to die here! Not like this!

I swung my sword with all of my might and thrust it all around me. One demon sliced my wrist. The sword fell from my grip and plummeted down to the water below us. I tried my stun gun, but it met the same end. It was over. I had no more weapons. I couldn't find any longer. I couldn't move because the pain was so bad. I had lost.

After they punched at me and kicked at me, the demons lifted me up into their grasp. They all smiled and laughed at me. They laughed at my awful state and the futile attempt to survive.

They threw me over the side of the bridge.

Where did it all go wrong? Where did everything go to hell? Why did it have to be this way? Why did I have to die?

My thoughts drifted back to the day I saw everyone in Angel Mort. We were all laughing and enjoying life together. It wasn't until Teppei came back when it all came crumbling down. No…it wasn't his fault…it wasn't anybody's fault…it was my own.

I gave in to my demon. I let it take control me and take advantage of my vulnerability. I let it use my obsessions, my lust, my hatred, and my pain against me. I was a mere puppet. I tried though. I really tried to fight it…but I failed. I failed because I was too weak. I relied too much on others to help me when I should have made myself stronger.

"I'm sorry…Rena…Satoko…Takuma…Rika…Sis…Satoshi-kun…and you…Keiichi." I thought to myself as I fell to the rocks below. "I betrayed all of you…I'm so sorry. I gave in and I failed you…if I had just one more try…just one…maybe I could prevent this from ever happening again. Please…Oyashiro-sama…or whoever is listening to me. If I had this one more chance…I promise…with all of my heart…I wouldn't make this awful mistake again…I promise…I promise….I-"

Everything around me turned to darkness.

Epilogue

My hand twitched. My legs shook. I tried to open my eyes. There was sand in my mouth. I was still alive.

I spat the sand from my mouth. I tried to get up, but I couldn't move. My shoulder still hurt, as did my leg, but now my whole right arm was throbbing. I couldn't move it at all. It was broken.

I finally rolled over on my back. I coughed up water and sand. Blood spurted from my mouth. I was alive. I had survived that fall, but was I really fortunate? I should have died. I almost wished that I did.

I desperately struggled to get on my feet, but the pain was just too much. I had to fight it though. I needed to find help. I wouldn't get far like this. I needed a doctor.

I managed to get on my feet. I had found a long stick near the small beach I was on. I seized the stick and used it to help me walk. I tried to climb back up to the road, but I fell twice. I fought through the pain until I finally reached the main road.

I stumbled along the road with my walking stick. Okinomiya was too far away to get help, but Hinamizawa was close. I think there were a few houses along this road. Maybe I could pay those homes a visit and find someone who could call an ambulance for me. I clung to this fading life…I clung because I wanted to see Satoko and Kei-chan. I wanted to see them one last time before I died.

The cry of the cicadas was all around me. Their song was rather sad. Were they singing for me? Were they singing for all the people I had hurt? Were they singing for the people I killed? I had no idea. No one would sing for me…not after this.

I came upon a small hill just outside the village. My eyes widened. I made it! I had made it to Hinamizawa! I might just make it!

I saw something dancing before me. It was large and it covered the whole village. It crackled and it grew larger and larger which each passing moment. What was I looking at?

I heard sirens blaring down the road behind me. I turned my head. I saw armored cars with soldiers, escorting ambulances and fire trucks. What was going on?

"Look! There's one now!" A paramedic called out. One of the ambulances stopped near me. The paramedic sprinted over to me and examined my wounds. "You're one lucky woman, you know that? How the hell did you get out of there?"

How did I get out of what? What was he saying?

"Oh, man! You look bad! C'mon, lemme take you to the hospital!"

"Wait…!" I tried to speak but my voice sounded very hoarse. My throat was killing me. "What's happening…? Why are the army and all these emergency vehicles here…?"

"But, didn't you just come out of there? You have to know what had happened! Jeez, she's in shock! Hey!" He turned to face another paramedic in the ambulance. "Get me the gurney!"

I looked behind myself one more time. I wished I hadn't.

My brain finally registered what my eyes were seeing. There was a fire, a great fire! The fire swept all over Hinamizawa like a plague! It engulfed the entire village in this inferno! I could hear screams, cries of death, and I could feel the heat of the flames from all the way here! All of Hinamizawa was burning!

I remembered what I had said a few hours ago. I said I wanted this village to be erased, to burn. I did this! I was responsible! I cursed Hinamizawa and caused all of this!

I dropped my walking stick and fell to the ground. I gripped my head with my arm and screamed. After that…all I heard were footsteps and the eternal cry of the cicadas.

Official Report from the Okinomiya Police Department, given to various radio stations and television channels.

On the night of July XX, around midnight, a great fire swept across the village of Hinamizawa, Shishibone City. The fire began at that time and continued until three o'clock in the morning. The incident has claimed the lives of nearly the entire population (2,000) in Hinamizawa. Rescue crews and the military have done all they can to save lives, but unfortunately, the death toll is still high. It even continues to rise as most of the survivors die in their hospital beds, due to the intake of the smoke and chemicals from the fire.

There is one survivor of the fire that is taking a considerable amount of attention; that is Sonozaki Shion. She was found badly injured just outside the village. She was taken to the hospital in Okinomiya where she is now receiving care. Her condition is stable for now. When she recovers, we hope that we may get a few words from her regarding this tragedy.

There is no evidence of what caused the fire. There are rumors that are currently circulating, but we are not sure if they have any truth to them. Nonetheless, we will inform you of these rumors. Hopefully, maybe something will come from them.

One rumor that is going around involves a group of radicals that sacked the village early this morning. These radicals are said to have committed murders, along with the murder of the priestess of Hinamizawa. These radicals are said to be supporters of the Keima Family. The Keima family, from what we know, is an old family that goes back to Hinamizawa's past.

The Keima Family and the Furude Family, the family of the priestess who was murdered, were very close until the Keima Family supposedly left the village. As to why these Keima supporters attacked the village, we do not know. We are unsure if there really is any truth to this rumor. It can be assured that this incident will be fully investigated.

That is all the information we have at this time. More news of the incident will be distributed later. Please know that this information is extremely difficult to obtain, and when we do obtain it, we will share it immediately.

A death list from the Okinomiya Precinct and the Okinomiya Hospital:

Houjou Teppei

Died a few days before the Great Fire. (Supposedly) Murdered by Sonozaki Mion.

Tatsuyoshi Kasai

Died a few days before the Great Fire. Murdered by Irie Kyousuke.

Irie Kyousuke

Died the night prior to the Great Fire. (Supposedly) Murdered by Sonozaki Mion.

Furude Rika

Died the night of the Great Fire. (Supposedly) Murdered by Keima Family Activists

Rumiko Chie

Died in the Great Fire.

Kimiyoshi Kiichiro

Died in the Great Fire. Bludgeoned to death. Possibly Keima Activists

Ryuugu Rena

Died in the Great Fire.

Maebara Keiichi

Died in the Great Fire, trying to save Houjou Satoko. Houjou is now in the hospital.


	7. ACR:SPOILERS Plus a Special Announcement

All Cast Review

Rena: Thank you for reading Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kan: Jimetsu-hen! We hoped that you enjoyed this episode!

Satoko: Okay! This is without a doubt, the **worst** episode of them all! It ends on such a bad note! Everybody dies and the only survivors are me and Nee-nee! How is that fair to everybody?

Rika: [Pouts due to her violent death]

Hanyuu: Auu~! Cheer up, Rika! You're time is coming!

Rika: Mii~…

Rena: I though this episode was pretty good, actually. Shii-chan did a great job as the main character! This is only her second outing and she's a natural!

Satoko: I admit…Nee-nee was pretty good! That whole internal conflict really had me on the edge of my seat! It freaked me out most of the time!

Shion: Ahaha! Well, I'm glad that you liked my performance!

Satoko: Just promise me you won't scare me like that again!

Shion: I'll do my best next time!

Mion: [Arms crossed and sneers at Shion] You better have enjoyed the spotlight, because you're not getting any more page time for a while!

Shion: I wouldn't mind that! I could really use a break! [Sighs]

Rena: Haha! I think we could all use a break!

Satoko: Wait! What's with this talk about taking breaks? Aren't we going to be in the next episode? This is Higurashi isn't it?

Rena: Yeah, but maybe we should hand the spotlight over to someone else!

Satoko: Another leading character? Keiichi-san is only leading character out there! He should be doing the next episode!

Mion: I did miss his sense of humor…

Shion: I missed teasing him all the time! Ahaha!

Mion: [Blushing] We-We don't talk about that!

Hanzaemon: I was happy I got to play a much larger role this time!

Akasaka: [Rubs the back of his neck] I didn't really show up…

Rena: Don't worry, Akasaka-san! I'm sure there's an episode just for you!

Akasaka: I can't wait for that! That sounds interesting!

Mion: Okay, everybody shut up! So, who wants to lead the discussion this time?

Satoko: I have questions!

Mion: [Teasingly] These are question arcs, so I assumed so!

Satoko: Quiet! I'm talking! [Clears throat] I was right all along! The Manager was the one who put the poison pills in that bottle! He killed me the last time! And he killed Kasai in this arc!

Rena: Something still seemed a little off to me. Look at his speech pattern when Shii-chan spoke to him before, he sounded full of regret! I think something is happening in the background!

Mion: Makes perfect sense! Irie's a nice guy, so I really can't see him do anything dastardly!

Rika: …Maybe it's the Syndrome?

Hanzaemon: I'm not sure. Irie is an expert on Hinamizawa Syndrome. Even if he did exhibit symptoms of the stronger stages of the disease, he probably knows techniques to bring him back to Level 1. I dunno, I'm just guessing here. I personally think he's up to something and we're just not seeing it.

Shion: While I do agree with Takuma's idea of something going on in the background, I really think that something is possessing the Manager to make him try to kill people!

Rena: Do you think he has a demon too?

Shion: I wouldn't be surprised! Everybody in Hinamizawa has some sort of demon within them! Look at you, Rena! You and I both have these monsters deep inside of us!

Rena: [Trembles at the thought of a monster]

Shion: Even Sis has one! We saw that in Keiyodoshi! Her demon made her kill Rika and Satoko! It also made her impersonate me to get to Kei-chan!

Mion: I got better though!

Shion: [Winks] So you think!

Satoko: That leads me to my next question: Mion-san took the blame for Nee-nee. What happened to her? None of the reports say anything about her at all! Was she tried? Convicted? Or was her innocence proven?

Mion: [Smiles] I like to think I was set free, but that's just me!

Rena: I was very noble of you, Mii-chan! The way you protected Shii-chan was so sweet…even though those murderers were very grizzly and wrong!

Mion: Shion has put up with crap all of her life. I wanted to give her a taste of happiness, although that didn't really work out well in the end. At least I tried! Ahaha!

Shion: That was really all my fault…I'm the cause of everything…

Rena: I'm sure there is a reason why Mii-chan did it anyway! Maybe she was supposed to be spared from the Great Fire?

Mion: That may be! Who knows? Maybe I'll make an appearance in the answer to this arc!

Satoko: To go along with no mention of Mion-san's fate in the reports, what happened to me and Nee-nee? Are we still alive?

Shion: It appears that way! I guess we have one more role to play in the answer arc!

Satoko: I'm excited that I'm still alive! Keiichi-san sacrificed himself to save me!

Hanzaemon: Now, I have a question. What does everybody think about the Onigari-no-Ryuou and the Keima Family? Like, their significance and the impact they may have?

Shion: Well, the mystery of the Keima Family certainly is something I'm interested in! I wonder why the Activists attacked the village at the very end!

Rena: Maybe it has something to do with the relationship to the Furude Family!

Rika: …It is very strange.

Hanyuu: Auu~…my treasure was broken too…

Rika: [Pats her head] There, there! Things will get better!

Mion: Uncle Mion's got this one figured out too! Remember when Hanzaemon and Shion were discussing the Keima Family? Wasn't it said that the family left Hinamizawa?

Rena: That's right! They left the village and that's when the bloodline died out! But then, why would followers of that family attack Hinamizawa? For what reason would they do that?

Mion: I think the Furude family was behind the end to the Keima bloodline! Supporters of the family return to Hinamizawa to seek vengeance! The Keima Family's duty was to guard that legendary sword, right? When they left Hinamizawa, the Furudes got revenge on them for abandoning their duty! This, in turn, caused the followers of the Keima Family to strike back! This creates a cycle of violence! It makes sense!

Rena: That's a pretty good deduction!

Hanzaemon: I'm intrigued to see how this mystery unfolds!

Takano: I am too!

Mion: Not you again! How did you-?

Takano: Back door…like always! Hehehe! I'm getting very disappointed! I haven't appeared at all yet! I don't know what I'm going to do if I don't make an appearance at some point!

Hanzaemon: What're you gonna do? Take over these Cast Review bits?

Mion: Don't give her ideas!

Takano: I was thinking of something much more drastic, but that'll do just fine!

Satoko: Just get out of here already! You're wasting everybody's time!

Takano: Alright, I'll go. But I better make an appearance at some point. Somebody will pay if I don't! Hehehe! [Leaves]

Satoko: Somebody's gonna pay, huh? I wonder who that's going to be.

Shion: Maybe it'll be the Boss! He's the guy who writes this stuff. She'll probably go after him!

Rena: I hope not…not until the story is all done!

Shion: [Sarcastically] Wow, that's so nice of you to say that! Sure, let an innocent writer get killed!

Rena: Bu-But…I wanna know what happens next!

Keiichi: Aha! I know what's gonna happen next!

Mion: Where did-?

Keiichi: Back door! We seriously need to lock that thing! Anyways, I just got through looking over the next episode. I'm pretty shocked to say the least!

Shion: What's going to happen?

Keiichi: [Smiles proudly] I'm not allowed to say! This episode is going to be considered a "gift" though!

Rena: A gift?

Keiichi: Yep! This is the final episode of the question arcs before we go to Kan Kai! It's gonna up the ante in means of psychological conflicts and well as external conflicts!

Satoko: The final episode? Is it going to be huge?

Keiichi: Very! It'll have lots of stuff that will freak you out and it will introduce a new protagonist!

Mion: Any idea who?

Keiichi: It's a surprise!

Rena: So it's true then! We all are taking a break!

Hanzaemon: I'm for that!

Akasaka: It'll be nice to relax for a while!

Mion: Bust out the drinks!

Rika: Yes! Sake for me!

Hanyuu: Bu-But I hate sake…

Satoko: This is gonna be fun!

Shion: We've been overworked! It's time to kick back!

Keiichi: Here's to vacation!

Everybody: Yeah!

Keiichi: We'll see you guys again in Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kan Kai!

Rena: And please join us for the final episode of the question arcs! Next time, join us for Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kan: Noroi-hen (The Malediction Chapter)! We hope to see you again!

P.S. Special Announcement!

Rena: Hey, Mii-chan! I heard something very interesting involving Kanashii-hen!

Mion: What about it? I thought we already did that arc!

Rena: We did! But the Boss is adapting it to a new medium! He's going to turn it into a fan made visual novel!

Mion: [Shocked] You're serious? How is that possible?

Rena: He was able to find some sprites, backgrounds, a VN creation program, and some royalty free music, thanks to ! I saw how it looks so far! It looks really cool!

Mion: I'm interested in checking it out? Is it done yet?

Rena: No, unfortunately. He's been busy with things lately, but he's going to be free soon to get back to work on it! I think the people who enjoyed the Kan series up to this point will really enjoy this VN!

Mion: He's doing this out of love for all things Higurashi, huh?

Rena: Yep! It's entirely fan made, in case you didn't get that part, and is making it as a tribute to the original Higurashi story!

Mion: Do you have any idea when the VN adaptation of Kanashii-hen will come out?

Rena: It's to be to be determined. But check the updates section in the Boss' profile once in a while for news! That is, if you're interested of course!

Mion: I am!

Rena: Thanks to all for continued to support! We hope to see you again in the continuation of the Kan saga! See you soon!

(Thanks for reading! I hope you had a great time going through Shion's perspective! I know I did! It was a lot of fun taking on the persona of my favorite character! Thanks again for reading, for the reviews (It's your reviews that keeps me going! Thanks for the ideas and feedback!), and for everything. If you're interested in the Fan Made VN I'm making, send an email ^^ Thanks!

~WOLFEDEN)


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